ATHOC reports satisfactory demand for 2004 Olympics tickets
( 2003-06-04 09:38 ) (8 )

The Athens Olympics organizing committee (ATHOC) on Tuesday said it was satisfied with the demand for tickets to the 2004 Games within Europe so far and confident that it would reach or exceed target sales for this phase.

"We are absolutely satisfied by the course of sales. Our target is 300,000 tickets sold or 20 million euros at this phase and I think we will achieve this. At the same time, we will have surpassed 60 per cent of total ticket sales," ATHOC Executive Director Martin Simitsek told reporters at a press conference.

Simitsek said that 66 percent of applications came from within Greece and 34 percent from European countries and regions. He stressed that ATHOC's goal was to sell most of the tickets to Greeks, while noting that they were 34 percent cheaper than those of the Sydney Games.

The deadline for applications expires in ten days on June 12 while Simitsek ruled out any extension.

For events where the demand exceeded supply, ticketing director Mary Manolopoulou explained that a 'lottery' will be held in July, and the tickets distributed among the applicants by a specialized random-selection ticketing program.

She announced that the second round of ticket sales will begin on September 15 and end on February 29, 2004 but would only be open to those who had participated in the first phase.

ATHOC provides tickets within Greece, the European Union and the European Economic Area. Residents of other countries must contact their national Olympic committee to inquire if a ticketingservice is available.

No tickets will be sold in March 2004, when the seating plans will be worked out, and the third phase of ticket sales for any tickets that remain will begin in April 2004.

According to Simitsek, meanwhile, tickets will be sold until the very last day of the Athens Games.

ATHOC reported a nine-fold increase in the hits on its Internet site during May relative to April, with 2.6 million visitors. The majority were from the United States, followed by Britain, Greece, Japan and Germany.

　　It said that 68 per cent of the tickets available cost up to 30euros, 55 per cent cost up to 20 euros and 38 per cent up to 10 euros.

　　The majority of applications for tickets were submitted through the Internet, while Greeks accounted for 37 per cent of Internet applications.