Hockey scores in ticket sale

Defying the myth that it is losing fan base by the day, hockey has emerged as the number one sport as far as the Commonwealth Games (CWG) ticket sale is concerned.
As the first phase of the sale nears its end, Australians have taken the lead among foreign buyers.

“As per our data, hockey is the highest-selling sport, followed by gymnastics, tennis and swimming,” a senior member of the CWG organising committee (OC) told DNA.
“At the international level, Australians are grabbing most tickets, followed by New Zealanders, citizens of a few regions in Europe and the US,” the official said.

Around 8,000 athletes and officials from 71 countries are expected to take part in the Games scheduled between October 3 and 14. CWG will feature 17 sporting events, which will be held at six venue clusters and five standalone venues. The government estimates around 1,00,000 foreigners to visit.

The first phase of ticket sale for the mega sporting event was launched around two-and-a-half months ago on June 4, but allegations of corruption have delayed the merchandise launch.

“A total of 1.7 million tickets would be sold across venues. Since June 4, around 1 lakh tickets have been sold. In National Capital Region alone, there are 30 retail outlets selling tickets,” the OC official said.

Tickets are being sold category-wise and sport-wise. There are separate rates for opening and closing ceremonies — the least priced ticket is worth Rs1,000, while the top ticket is for Rs50,000.

OC has resorted to “controlled selling” of tickets “to give as many people as possible the chance to watch the Games”, the official said.
“There are no deadlines and the sale will continue at the venue box office till the end of the Games. The second phase of selling tickets is expected to start later this week,” he said. In phase-II, retail outlets will be opened in Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Pune and Hyderabad.

OC has also kept non-revenue seats.

“There will be 5,75,000 non-revenue seats. OC officials are not getting any passes and there is no concept of VIPs and VVIPs. Only athletes, Games family and media will get passes,” the OC official said.

Ticket-holders will be able to avail free transportation on Delhi Transport Corporation buses and Delhi Metro.