Tickets selling fast for closing ceremony

Tickets for the the closing ceremony of Nanjing Youth Olympic Games on Aug 28. ]Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

If you want to watch the closing ceremony of the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, you may need to book the tickets very soon.

Zhang Dongxin, executive chief director of the closing ceremony, said the ceremony will be full of passion and surprises and tickets have been selling fast.

"Some of the world's top singers and artists will participate in the ceremony on Aug 28, and some Chinese pop stars, loved by young people, have also been invited to join the show," Zhang said.

"The opening ceremony turned out to be a great success with a strong visual and emotional impact, but we believe the closing ceremony will be even better."

People can purchase tickets on the o cial website of the YOG, or at box office outlets, including China Post, China Telecom and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. Information about the outlets can be found on the YOG's official website.

Tickets for the closing ceremony are selling at 500 yuan ($81), 1,000 yuan, 1,500 yuan and 2,800 yuan. Zhang Wen, a volunteer, said she has seen many people turned away from the main stadium because they did not book tickets in advance.

"It's China," Zhang said. "Too many people want to buy tickets before you do."

About 410,000 tickets for various events have been sold so far, the committee said. All the tickets in 64 competitions have sold out, including tennis, sailing, diving and swimming.

"Almost half the total sales of tickets are made by students and families," said Han Dong, assistant director of the marketing department of the YOG's organizing committee. "The YOG is for the youth, so we made a plan to offer more tickets, at affordable prices, to students and families at first."

The organizing committee said it will work closely with local police to crack down on scalpers and that the public should report to police those seen reselling tickets.

cangwei@chinadaily.com.cn