Sell out in Vancouver

Vancouver Winter Olympics are expected to sell out, according to organisers. It would be the first time an Olympics has sold out of tickets.

“Demand has been huge,” said Dave Cobb, Deputy Chief Executive of the Vancouver organizing committee, as reported by Bloomberg. A few tickets will be sold on the day at events, including curling, early rounds of the ice hockey competitions, and the closing ceremony, but these are also expected to sell out he said. Sales are being driven by a reviving Canadian economy, US fans coming across the border, and strong demand from the 2.3 million locals in Vancouver.

The 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics sold 95 per cent of its 1.6 million tickets, while the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics sold nearly 96 per cent of its 6.8 million tickets.

The US television audience for the first two days of the Vancouver Games hit around 97 million. It is the biggest since 1994, when prior to the Lillehammer Games US skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by a 'hitman', allegedly hired by fellow US skater and team-mate Tonya Harding to try to put her out of the Games. The Vancouver Games are being broadcast by free-to-air network NBC