Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games tickets on sale one year from today

Tickets to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games will go on sale one year from today, on October 11, 2008. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) today unveiled details of how Canadians and visitors from around the world can have the experience of a lifetime by attending an Olympic event in 2010. The vancouver2010.com website offers a full range of information on 2010 Winter Games sport disciplines, events, ticket prices and the opportunity to sign up to receive the latest ticket information as it becomes available.

“Attending the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and sharing gold medal moments with Canadian athletes and international competitors, will be unforgettable,” said John Furlong, VANOC Chief Executive Officer. “It’s about much more than the ticket – it’s the entire Olympic experience that will likely not come our way in Canada for many years to come. It’s about standing shoulder to shoulder and singing O Canada with fellow Canadians you have never met but with whom you are family for one incredible day. These are experiences that will remain with you for the rest of your life and today we are delivering on our promise to make that unique Olympic experience available to anyone who wants to be there. Our goal is to ensure every venue is full. ”

Approximately 1.6 million tickets will be available for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games with 100,000 tickets priced at $25. Half of all tickets are priced at $100 or less and Opening and Closing Ceremonies tickets, ranging from $175 to $1,100, will be offered at prices lower than the Ceremonies tickets at the Torino 2006 Winter Games and the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games.

“The 2010 Winter Games are a global event and demand for tickets will be strong across Canada and around the world,” said Dave Cobb, VANOC Executive Vice President, Revenue, Marketing and Communications. “Our research tells us that three in four Canadians believe that attending the 2010 Winter Games would be ‘the experience of a lifetime.’ Attending the Games scored the highest of all major sport and entertainment events tested, including the Stanley Cup Finals and the Super Bowl in terms of overall experience. Given this high demand, we set out to develop a fair, accessible and affordable ticket program, and today marks the first major step in delivering exactly such a program.”

Together with its partners, VANOC is also following through on its bid commitment to purchase and distribute 50,000 tickets to Olympic and Paralympic events to those who would not otherwise have the means to be able to attend. A process for allocation of these tickets will be developed in consultation with community groups and social agencies.

“Experience from past Games, and feedback from athletes, tells us that we can create an unforgettable atmosphere for all involved by filling the venues,” said Caley Denton, VANOC Vice President of Ticketing and Consumer Marketing. “We’re doing everything possible to ensure that tickets are used, including working to develop an online ticket buy and sell exchange program that allows spectators with tickets who cannot attend an event to quickly exchange their tickets with other spectators who can. It will be a secure system that will guarantee the tickets are valid and we look forward to unveiling details as they are developed.”

The ticket buying process will be simple and user friendly. It will be staged in phases and will, in some cases, include lotteries to fairly distribute tickets to Olympic events where the demand for tickets exceeds the supply. This process has been standard for previous Games but may be different than what the public is commonly used to for other sporting events and concerts. By signing up at vancouver2010.com, the public will receive important news and next steps for the ticket program delivered directly to their email inbox. In addition, subscribers will also be sent:

As is required of all Olympic Organizing Committees, approximately 30 per cent of the tickets will be held for key partners that participate directly in the staging of the Games – commonly referred to as the Olympic Family. The Olympic family includes athletes and their families, National Olympic Committees and international sport federations, media and broadcasters who tell the story of the Games to a global audience and VANOC sponsors whose financial investment contributes directly to staging the Games.

Further information on the ticketing program and on how the public can attend the many additional events around Vancouver and Whistler during the Games, including the nightly Victory Ceremonies at BC Place Stadium and in Whistler, the Cultural Olympiad and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, will be released in the coming year at vancouver2010.com and through targeted public communications.

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010.

VANOC Communications
mediarelations@vancouver2010.com