Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 19, 1995 TAG: 9503210036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
\ Instructions for ordering tickets to the 1996 Olympics have been announced, along with this advice: To avoid disappointment, pick alternatives to the events you most want to see.
About 7 million tickets will go on sale to the public May 1, when the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and its sponsors will distribute 35 million brochures with mail-in forms. The committee will announce in April sites where the brochures will be available.
The committee is counting on heavy sales to make ends meet on a tight $1.58 billion budget.
Before the May public sale, about 4 million choice tickets will be gobbled up by VIPs and sponsors. But members of the committee say some tickets will be available to the public for each event.
In addition to a 17-page schedule of 542 sessions of the 1996 Games, the brochure will include a map, an order work sheet and an application for up to 16 ``preferred,'' or first-choice sessions. For each preferred session, customers are urged to list two alternate sessions.
That's because the committee expects demand to exceed supply for about half the sessions, such as track and field finals, semifinal and final rounds of men's and women's basketball, late rounds of boxing, all diving and all artistic gymnastics.
If a first choice is sold out, applicants will receive tickets to alternate picks if they are available.
``The best way to ensure you get tickets to the Centennial Olympic Games is to order early and give ACOG as many opportunities as possible to fill your order,'' said Scott Anderson, the committee's top ticket official.
``It's fine to order tickets to the finals and the most popular sports, but you should also order tickets to preliminaries and sports you would not ordinarily see,'' he said. ``Attending the Olympic Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don't limit your chances ... by limiting the sports and session types you want to see.''
Though the start of the ticket sale still is six weeks away, interest in orders has been building. Games officials said they receive hundreds of calls daily from fans seeking details on tickets.
``It is the No.1 question,'' said Laurie Olsen, a committee spokeswoman. ``People think that some way or another, there is a way to get a jump on May 1. Everyone knows it's going to be high-demand, and everyone wants to get them.''
by CNB