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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014 SPORTS Sochi still scrambling to sell Olympic tickets LONDON: What if they held an Olympics and popular events being hockey, biathlon, figure skat- before the games. Tickets have been sold on Sochi’s “We experienced demand at expected levels,” nobody came? The situation isn’t that bleak, of ing, freestyle and snowboard,” the organizing com- official website on a first-come, first-served basis. spokesman Michael Kontos said, without giving fig- course, for the Sochi Games. Yet, with less than three mittee said in a statement to the AP. “With 70 per- Box offices are now open in Moscow and Sochi. The ures. Flights to Sochi are expensive, and most inter- weeks to go until the opening ceremony, hundreds cent of tickets already sold and another ticketing cheapest tickets go for 500 rubles ($15), the most national travelers have to go through Moscow, with of thousands of tickets remain unsold, raising the office opening shortly, we are expecting strong last- expensive for 40,000 rubles ($1,200). More than half direct flights to Sochi only available from Germany prospect of empty seats and a lack of atmosphere at minute ticket sales and do not envisage having of all tickets cost less than 5,000 rubles ($150). The and Turkey. Western travelers must navigate the Russia’s first Winter Olympics. empty seats.” Sochi officials have refused to divulge average monthly salary in Russia is 30,000 rubles time-consuming visa process and requirement to There are signs that many foreign fans are staying how many tickets in total were put up for sale, say- ($890).
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