Attending Olympics 2008

[DAK]

My wife and I are seriously considering attending the Olympics next year in Beijing. Anyone got any advice on the easiest ways to get tickets especially for swimming. Tips from previous experience of attending Olympics? Ways of keeping the costs down?

Also if anyone has any links to airlines which are already selling flights during this period that would be of help.

[Juicy Lucy]

I expect the same ticket procedure will be followed as used at previous Games, which means if you want swimming tickets then you MUST also purchase tickets for another sport. These are usually the less popular events. They won't be for athletics.

You may not agree with this system but the occasion of it all will ensure that you will enjoy the 'other' sport just as much.

JL

[DAK]

I expect the same ticket procedure will be followed as used at previous Games, which means if you want swimming tickets then you MUST also purchase tickets for another sport. These are usually the less popular events. They won't be for athletics.

You may not agree with this system but the occasion of it all will ensure that you will enjoy the 'other' sport just as much.

JL

I am certainly interested in attending events for other sports too. So the system is fine with me. I just want to try to ensure having tickets for all swimming sessions.

[Juicy Lucy]

I just want to try to ensure having tickets for all swimming sessions.

All swimming sessions?

Prepare for a shock - and take out a 2nd mortgage.

[Taxiandbank]

http://en.beijing2008.cn/spectators/

[DAK]

All swimming sessions?

Prepare for a shock - and take out a 2nd mortgage.

Whats your estimate on the average ticket price per session?

[chris_lamb]

See http://www.tickets.beijing2008.cn/browse?category=8230 for prices. The most expensive tickets (800yuan) work out to be just over £50. The cheapest tickets (excluding the 10k) at 100yuan are about £6.5.

[DAK]

See http://www.tickets.beijing2008.cn/browse?category=8230 for prices. The most expensive tickets (800yuan) work out to be just over £50. The cheapest tickets (excluding the 10k) at 100yuan are about £6.5.

Just found that www.sportsworld.co.uk are selling tickets for all events. Not much more than the prices quoted above. Could get tickets for all swimming sessions for as cheap as £20 odd per day...not too bad.

Will see what the flight prices are like then commence the booking sequence.

[Juicy Lucy]

Whats your estimate on the average ticket price per session?

I haven't been, but a swimming friend of mine paid £160 per ticket (Total £320 for him and his wife) at the last Olympics. This allowed them access to see 2 swimming sessions. The 'other' sport for them on the same ticket was shooting.

You'll need to check this out. Maybe the procedure has been changed for Beijing? Must say, he went to the Sydney and Los Angeles Olympics too and it was the same there. (Swimming plus another sport).

I seem to remember him saying that he didn't get a choice of which other sport to watch.

Somebody on this forum must know for sure.

JL

[EssBee]

We travelled to the Athens Olympics with Sportsworld but didn't buy sports events tickets through them initially. I bought opening ceremony tickets and tickets for most swimming finals through the Athens 2004 website when they first went on sale (about a year before, I seem to recall). As it turned out, the hotel we were staying in in Athens was the Sportworld base and they had a ticket agency there where you could buy returned tickets at a discounted rate a couple of hours before the event started. We went to one of the swimming finals and paid half the face price of the ticket - in fact, we were only a few seats/rows away from where our tickets had been for the other evenings. I suppose this would only work if the Sportworld ticket desk is within reasonable travelling time of the venue. In Athens it only took us about 40 minutes to get from our hotel to the pool. We also used the Sportsworld ticket desk to buy tickets for other sports events when we weren't at the swimming.

When I bought the tickets via the Athens 2004 website I don't recall any particular issues with needing to buy tickets for less popular sports. I think that was just the Sportsworld set up. Tickets bought via the website had to be paid for by Visa, however, since they were sponsors. The tickets were delivered by courier nearer the Games and I had to show my passport and website ticket confirmation before the package was handed over. I can't remember the costs now but the swimming finals' tickets were pretty expensive.

EssBee
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