Tokyo 2020 Olympics: First tickets for event released via lottery

The first tickets for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics went on sale on Thursday, with Japanese residents able to enter a lottery to watch the sport of their choice. Tickets for the 33 sports range from the cheapest general tickets at 2,500 yen (USD 23) to an eye-watering 300,000 yen (USD 2,730) for the best seats at the opening ceremony. Those lucky enough to score the best seats for the showcase men's 100m final will pay 130,000 yen (USD 1,200). But half of all tickets will be priced at 8,000 yen (USD 73) or less and special tickets priced at 2,020 yen (USD 18) are available for families resident in Japan with children, senior citizens, and people with impairments. Prices for domestic residents are "about the same as London 2012 but a little higher than the 2016 Rio Games," Yuko Hayakawa, senior 2020 marketing official, told AFP.

The lottery -- only for residents of Japan during an initial period -- runs until May 28, with successful applicants notified on June 20 and payment due a fortnight later. The website saw high demand upon opening with a queue system in place even though tickets are not sold on a first-come-first-served basis and everyone entering the lottery by May 28 having an equal chance of scooping tickets. Overseas applicants will be able to snap up tickets from June 15 via special "Authorised Ticket Resellers" in each country. Organisers have not offered a precise number of tickets available at various stadium configurations are still being finalised with just less than 450 days to go until the opening ceremony. But they said it would be roughly the same as the 7.8 million tickets they estimated when bidding for the right to host the Games.

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Of these tickets, an estimated 70-80 per cent would be allotted to Japanese residents with the rest going to overseas fans. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will run from July 24 to August 9. Tickets for the Paralympics will become available this summer. Fans wishing to start planning their applications can access the website at https://ticket.tokyo2020.org/?culture=en-us. Boxing tickets are not available as the IOC has frozen preparations for the competition amid a spat with the governing body AIBA.

HIGHLIGHTS

• No tickets will be available for Boxing as IOC has frozen preparations due to a spat with AIBA.
• Tokyo last hosted the Olympics in 1964.
• The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 24 to August 9.