One week to go for Phase One ticket orders; Canadians look for variety in multiple Olympic sports in 2010

Oct 31, 2008

Vancouver, BC– If there was ever any doubt Canadians are winter sport fans, ticket sales for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games are proof positive that Canadians love ice and snow sports and watching the best athletes in the world compete. While hockey still reigns supreme, ticket orders to date show that Canadians are planning to attend a wide range of 2010 Olympic events. And with just one week remaining until the Phase One request period closes, there are ample affordable tickets available for every sport, including pre-medal round world-class hockey and curling.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) announced today, along with a list of ticket order trends, reminders and tips (see below), that the vast majority of ticket orders are for multiple sports and that orders have been received from throughout the country, with the most orders from BC, Alberta and Ontario. 

“From the day we launched ticket sales, Canadians’ response to attending the 2010 Olympic Winter Games has been outstanding across the full spectrum of sport events,” said Caley Denton, VANOC’s  vice president of ticketing and consumer marketing. “With just one week to go in Phase One ticket orders, the most important thing to remember is that a request placed on or before November 7 is your best chance to receive the tickets you want and is the only way to qualify to order tickets in the Priority Access Period before the holidays.”

With a reminder that every sport offers an exciting once-in-a-lifetime experience, Denton concluded, “No matter what the sport, the unique dynamic of the Olympic Games and the best athletes in the world competing in the biggest event of their lives will make every event a lifelong memory.”

TICKETING REMINDERS AND TIPS

November 7 is a key deadline

• Olympic Experience Packages (OEPs) are only available until November 7.
• On December 8, remaining tickets will be available in “real time” on a first-come, first-serve basis — but only to account holders who submitted a request during the Request Period of Phase One. Submitting a request prior to November 7 is the only way to gain access to tickets during the pre-Christmas Priority Access Phase.

There is great value in preliminary rounds

• Preliminary rounds offer high-level competition for exceptional value. Due to demand factors,requests for these sessions are more likely to be fulfilled than requests for medal rounds, particularly for high-demand sports such as hockey and curling.
• Preliminary hockey rounds may feature games between traditional hockey powers in men’s and women’s hockey — for tickets priced at $25–$140, below the cost of many National Hockey League (NHL) games.

See a sport that’s new to you. Did you know . . .

• Nordic combined offers the opportunity to see two disciplines with one ticket — both ski jumping and cross-country skiing.
• The Whistler Sliding Centre boasts the highest vertical drop from top-to-low point of any track in the world, at 152 metres.
• Hard to believe, but there are there are no brakes on a skeleton sled.

• Travelling down the track, the average luge speed is 130+ kilometres/hour

  • Track G-force is expected to reach 5.02 Gs (men’s luge)
• Ski cross makes its Olympic debut at the 2010 Winter Games. Like snowboard cross, this event features exciting action of multiple skiers racing at the same time.
• It takes approximately 8.1 seconds for a short track speed skater to complete one lap of the 111.12-metre track.
• A curling stone weighs 19.1 kilograms.
• The top speed of the world’s fastest alpine ski racers has been clocked at 148 kilometres per hour.
• Speed skating is the fastest human-powered, non-mechanically aided sport in the world, with athletes reaching top speeds of over 60 kilometres per hour.

Notable Vancouver 2010 ticket figures and trends to date:

• Hockey is the most requested event for account holders from every province and territory.
• 93 per cent of all accounts have requested tickets to more than one sport.
• The average number of tickets per order: 15
• In October 2008, the ticketing pages on vancouver2010.com have been viewed more than 3.1 million times.

• Canadians are most likely to browse for tickets between the hours of 8 am and 12 noon

  • Canadians are most likely to submit orders over the weekend

• Applications have been submitted from account holders in every province and territory in Canada

  • Requests have been submitted by account holders from more than 1,000 cities and towns across Canada;

• Account holders requesting the greatest number of tickets, in descending order, reside in:

  • BC
  • Ontario
  • Alberta
• Aside from the opening weekend after Phase One launched, the period from October 24–30 saw the highest number of requests submitted

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. Visit vancouver2010.com.

Contact
VANOC Communications
mediarelations@vancouver2010.com