Rio organizers say 82% of tickets sold on first day
RIO DE JANEIRO — Organizers of the 2016 Rio Olympics said they sold 82% of available tickets on the first full day of competition.
Many have worried that international travelers would stay away from Rio due to concerns over insecurity, terrorism and the ever-spreading Zika virus, and that regular Brazilians just couldn't afford to go. But Mario Andrada, a spokesman for the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, said they had strong sales at the Olympic venues on Saturday — a total of 22,000 tickets on top of the 388,000 bought in advance.
Foreigners purchased 25% of the tickets, and Brazilians bought up the rest.
"We had an excellent day," Andrada said Sunday.
That didn't prevent the image of empty seats throughout the Olympic venues as many fans struggled to get through security checkpoints that were plagued by problems. Miscommunication between different law enforcement and Olympic officials manning the checkpoints, and problems with X-Ray machines at several locations, kept many fans waiting up to 1 1/2 hours under the blaring sun.
Andrada said there were some good signs, including packed crowds at the soccer, tennis and swimming venues. But he said they worked hard overnight to eliminate the long lines and ensure that everybody who has a ticket can get to their event.
"Some people, especially those with children, decided to go home, which we regret," he said. "There is always room for improvement."
There are a total of about 5 million tickets available for the Olympics. That figure has been lowered from the 7.5 million predicted several years ago as venues have been reconfigured and demand has lagged.
On Thursday, a day before the opening ceremony, organizers also announced that they would donate 240,000 tickets to underprivileged local children.
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