Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 26, 1994 TAG: 9406260069
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND LENGTH: Medium
Atlanta organizers announced their ticket prices Saturday after receiving approval from the executive board of the International Olympic Committee.
The average ticket price is $39.72, but more than half of the seats are priced at $20 or less.
"We based our prices on fairness, equity and affordability," said Billy Payne, chief of Atlanta's organizing committee. "These will be the most accessible Olympic Games in history."
Adjusting for inflation, 90 percent of the tickets will be at or below the prices charged for the same events at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, Payne said.
He said 95 percent of all tickets will be priced below $75 and every sport will have at least one session with tickets available for $25 or less.
For the first time, the price of tickets will include free round-trip rail or bus transportation from designated sites to the venues.
The highest prices will be for the opening and closing ceremonies, with $600 for the best tickets, $400 for mid-level seats and $200 for the cheapest. By comparison, ceremony tickets at the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona cost $500 for the best seats.
Many of the seats for the ceremonies will be held by Olympic officials, sponsors, athletes and media. Payne said the exact number of tickets available to the general public has not been determined.
A total of 11 million tickets will be available, 50 percent more than in Los Angeles and 250 percent more than for the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
Tickets will go on sale starting in the spring of 1995, first by direct mail and later by phone. About 900,000 tickets are set aside for purchase outside the United States. Details of the purchasing process will be announced by the end of this year.
Organizers hope to sell at least 60 percent of the tickets to reach their projected revenue target of $260 million - out of total estimated revenue of $1.58 billion.
Nine sports have tickets over $75: the final session of track and field and finals of basketball, boxing, diving, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball.
by CNB