Canadians hoping to get seats for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games will have their first chance on Oct. 3, when the "first-phase" tickets go on sale. Another 10,000 tickets will be given away for free in a program to be unveiled next year.
The "first-phase" tickets will be offered until Nov. 7. But the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) is advising the public to take their time, look at the schedule and consider which events they want to see.
That's because a request for tickets submitted on Oct. 3 will be considered the same as a request given on Nov. 7.
"It's not first-come-first-served, so you can take your time," said Dave Cobb, executive vice-president of marketing for VANOC. "At the end of the five-week period we'll look at all the orders. For any events where there's been more orders than there are tickets, it will be a lottery system. So it will be random who gets them."
Other details released Wednesday include:
- Visa is the only payment card accepted
- Some cheques and money orders will be accepted
- Cash will not be accepted as payment for tickets during Phase 1
- Visit vancouver2010.com or call the Vancouver 2010 or call 1-800-TICKETS (1-800-842-5387) after September 15 for details
VANOC also said it will release tickets in phases during the sales period so those who don't get tickets in the first round can apply again.
To avoid empty seats in high-demand sections, the tickets will be awarded by lottery to hopeful buyers.
VANOC said 70 per cent of the 2010 tickets will be reserved for the public and 30 per cent for the "Olympic family" -- which includes National Olympic Committees, sponsors, media and broadcasters, and athletes and their families.
But for high-demand events, such as the hockey finals, the goal is to have at least 30 per cent of tickets available for the public. Hockey games account for 30 per cent of all ticket sales.
"We want to ensure that the maximum number of tickets is available to the public for every event. While previous Games have established event public ticketing thresholds at 10 per cent or less, we've worked hard to increase the 2010 Winter Games event threshold for public tickets to a minimum of 30 per cent," said Caley Denton, VANOC Vice President of Ticketing and Consumer Marketing.
Meanwhile, VANOC also confirmed that medal presentations, the nightly Olympic Victory Ceremony, will be held indoors at BC Place. Following the medal presentations there will be a celebration concert featuring renowned entertainers, hosted each night by a different province or territory.
Up to 10,000 Olympic Victory Ceremony tickets will be free through a program to be announced next year. The rest of the tickets will be sold for $22.
The 2010 Winter Games will take place in Vancouver and Whistler, from Feb. 12 to Feb. 28. The Paralympic Games will follow from March 12 to 21.
With files from CTV's Mike Killeen
