The Vancouver organizing committee for the 2010 Olympics will unveil details about its ticket program Thursday, including how much Canadians can expect to pay to see the massive event.
"Tickets aren't free," Dave Cobb, VANOC's executive vice-president of Revenue, Marketing and Communications, told CTV British Columbia on Wednesday.
"We just have to find that right balance of charging enough for us generate the revenue we need to put the Games on, but keeping them reasonable enough that the average person can afford to see some events."
said it will base ticket prices on the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, meaning buyers could pay more than $1,000 for some of the best seats.
Here are some ticket-price ranges from the 2002 Games:
- Opening and closing ceremonies: $503 to $1,390
- Cross-country skiing and biathlon events: $39 to $79
- Final events for ski jumping: $173 to almost $300
- Figure skating: $79 to $589
- Preliminary round hockey games: roughly $70
- Gold Medal final in men's hockey: $510 to $667
"The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games are a global event and will be an experience of a lifetime for everyone who attends," Cobb said in a press release Wednesday.
"It's been our goal since day one to develop a fair, affordable and accessible Olympic ticketing program and we look forward to sharing the details of the plan this week with Canadians and potential spectators from around the world."
But Canadians aren't guaranteed to get the tickets they want, and many will be sold to the public across the country -- and around the world -- through a lottery system.
CTV British Columbia reports that people will be able to submit requests for the lottery at about this time next year.
About 70 per cent will be available to the public, and about 30 per cent -- or 1.8 million tickets -- will be reserved for the "Olympics Family."
That group consists of members of the International Olympic Committee, Olympic Committees from all nations, National Sport Federations and corporate sponsors.
VANOC estimates it will receive $232 million from ticket sales, but only if they sell 90 per cent of the seats.
One venue, GM Place, is expected to generate almost one-third of ticket revenue.
"This building will generate approximately $70 million in revenue for the Games, making it the largest revenue producer for any venue in Olympic history other than opening and closing ceremonies," said VANOC CEO John Furlong.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Mike Killeen in Vancouver
