Brazil Can’t Sell Tickets to the Olympics
Photo: Dado Galdieri/GettyWho wants to go to the Summer Olympics in Rio? Apparently, nobody. With five months to go and prices falling, Brazilian organizers still can’t seem to sell tickets for South America’s first Olympic Games, and that’s a problem.
Though the IOC president expects locals will buy up last-minute tickets, the country’s significantly behind in ticket sales. Mario Andrada, a Rio de Janiero committee spokesman, told the AP only 47 percent of the 7.5 million tickets (but $194 million or 74 percent of the revenue target) has been sold so far. Compare this number to the two most recent Summer Games. The 2012 London Games had essentially sold out by the start of February—with only tickets available, surprisingly, to soccer—and similarly, 2008 Beijing Olympics saw crowds of 30,000 swarming to purchase tickets for the Olympiad, though these games reportedly sold out in July.
Why the apparent hesitation?