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Lottery will control distribution of 2010 Winter Olympic Games tickets

VANCOUVER - The organizers of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games expect to make $218.2 million in ticket sales for the Games.

VANCOUVER - The organizers of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games expect to make $218.2 million in ticket sales for the Games.

The tickets will go on sale about two years before the event and it’s likely the distribution will be controlled through a lottery system.

And according to the bid book, released this week in Vancouver, there is a wide range of ticket prices to choose from.

For example tickets for the opening ceremonies will range from $119 to $1,100.

However, half of the tickets for the opening ceremony will be in the $1,100 range. One hundred per cent of the tickets to Salt Lake city’s 2002 Winter Games’ opening event were over $1,300.

Closing ceremonies will cost you anywhere from $95 to $950, again with most in the upper range.

For prime events such as skiing and figure skating and hockey you will be able to get tickets for as little as $45. The expensive seats for these sports will cost about $429.

That’s not bad when you compare ticket prices to other hallmark events in B.C. or the Salt Lake Games.

At the Utah 2002 Games ticket’s to the men’s hockey final were $700 and scalpers were getting $4,650 for a pair of tickets.

A Canucks game will set you back at least $63. The best seats at GM Place could cost $207.

And if you went to see the Pavarotti, Domingo, Carerras concert in 1999 you remember paying at least $145 or as much as $967 for a ticket.

The bid corp. has also made 50,000 sport event tickets available to social agencies as it continues to work toward being as inclusive as possible.

Admission to medal ceremonies will be a nominal charge.

About 60 per cent of tickets will be available for the Canadian marketplace. The rest will go to the Olympic Family, sponsors, media and others.

Organizers expect to sell 75 per cent of available tickets for all sporting events plus the Paralympic Winter Games opening and closing ceremonies, and 95 per cent of the opening and closing ceremonies for the Games.

When it comes to other sources of revenue the biggest portion will come from the IOC’s share of the television rights.

Vancouver expects to get $522 million.