Sports Minister Hugh Robertson expects corporate ticket row over London 2012
Friday 08 June 2012
Related articles
-
Government asked: Why are you allowing 'tainted' G4S to handle Olympic security?
-
Lord Coe accused of 'obsessive secrecy' over Olympic tickets
-
All the world's a stage: Iconic photos of the London 2012 Olympic Games
-
Cauldron will be dismantled after London 2012 with 'petals' given to each competing nation
The Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said he expects he and the London 2012 Organising Committee will "get some stick" when it is revealed just how many of the top tickets have gone to corporate sponsors rather than on sale to the public.
The breakdown will not be revealed "probably not until after the Games", he said. Olympic organisers have promised 75 per cent of the tickets will be exclusively for the British public, but have refused to answer questions on how many tickets to the most popular events, such as athletics and cycling, have been made available.
Hundreds of thousands of football tickets, likely to remain unsold, will be counted as part of the 75 per cent. The Games' 55 sponsors, including McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Dow Chemical, have received about 500,000 tickets, from the total of 8.8 million.
Mr Robertson said: "I hope the stick we get is balanced by an appreciation that sponsors have contributed over £700m to the games that would otherwise have come out of the public purse." The Chair of the London Assembly's Sport Committee, Baron-ess Doocey, has told Olympics' chief Lord Coe, "Locog's ongoing secrecy over Olympic tickets is shameful".
Tickets for a further 96 sessions will be available on the London 2012 website on Friday morning, including athletics, swimming, volleyball, table tennis and boxing – from £20 to £720.
Sport blogs
iBet: A tight game between Northampton and Bradford
A tight game could be in prospect here. Northampton have been keeping things very tight of late and ...
by Gareth Purnell
18 May 2013 02:01 AM
On The Road at the Giro d’Italia: Feeling ill and racing in the rain must be pretty grim
I can’t ever watch games of football or rugby without wistfully wondering what it must be like to be...
by Martin Ayres
16 May 2013 05:10 PM
PSG and the French league must be more proactive in dealing with hooliganism
Since PSG’s exit to Barcelona in the Uefa Champions League quarter-final in April, PSG have been sur...
by Matthew Riding
15 May 2013 02:37 PM
-
Tears and cheers as David Beckham ends glittering career after helping PSG to final win
-
Video: Emotional David Beckham leaves the pitch for 'the last time' with PSG
-
Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini has pedigree to be success story at Manchester City
-
Tottenham face nail-biting finish as Arsenal look to secure Champions League place on final day of the Premier League season
-
Boxing: Carl Froch slams fellow Brits for sparring with Mikkel Kessler
- 1 Heading for America? Prepare for the longest US immigration queues ever
- 2 Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?
- 3 You thought Ryanair's attendants had it bad? Wait 'til you hear about their pilots
- 4 'Swivel-gate': Cameron goes to war with press over 'swivel-eyed loons' slur
- 5 It’s official: thanks to Stephen Hawking's Israel boycott, anti-Semitism is no more
Get your summer started with British Military Fitness
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Visit York
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Day In a Page
The price of pacifism
Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond
Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?
Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing
Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'
Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes
Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save




Comments