Olympic Tickets Sold For Up To $9,430 On Black Market, Report Claims
The International Olympic Committee is looking into whether Olympic officials have been selling tickets to this summer’s games on the black market, The Huffington Post reported.
Members of the IOC met in an emergency meeting Saturday following a report from the U.K. The Sunday Times reported that 27 officials controlling the tickets were selling ones for high-profile events like the men’s 100-meter track final. The Sunday Times sent undercover reporters posing as Middle Eastern ticket dealers and found the agents selling tickets for up to $9,430.
It is against IOC rules for member national committees to sell tickets abroad or inflate the price of tickets, The Huffington Post reported.
The IOC has been hit with other charges of black market ticket dealing, the Associated Press reported. The Sunday Times also reported that Greek Olympic Committee “pulled strings” with the Olympics’ organizing chairman to receive extra high-priced tickets because of high demand in the country. The paper reported that the Greek official admitted there is no high demand and that the tickets would be sold outside of the country for profit.
The IOC distributed more than 1 million tickets to the London 2012 games to nations taking part, with strict rules on how they must be distributed, the BBC reported. National Olympic Committees are required to sell tickets only within their own region.
Olympic officials denied the charges, and said they are investigating the ticket re-selling charges and will determine recommendations for better ways to allocate and sell tickets, the BBC reported.
