Rio de Janeiro – At a press conference this Thursday (15th), the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games has announced the launch of the Rio 2016 Olympics ticket sales program. Fans can already sign up on the event’s website (see bottom of this page) to receive information about the games. Seventy percent of all tickets are earmarked for Brazilian residents; the other 30% will be sold to non-residents. A total of 7.5 million tickets will be sold, 3.8 million of these priced at R$ 70 (roughly US$ 26, at current exchange rates) or less, according to the Committee.
Registration is the first of four stages in the program and will last until February. The second stage begins in March: registered fans will choose the sports, sessions, sectors, and number of tickets they wish to buy. Afterwards, two draws will be held, with results announced in June and August. The rules only allow fans who registered for the first draw to enter the second one.
The third stage – online sales – will happen in October; the fourth and final stage is direct sales to fans at box offices, in June 2016. Non-Brazilian residents will be able to buy from authorized dealers. The committee will release the list of dealers in March.
The president of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, believes approximately 60% of tickets will be sold during the lottery stage. “We estimate that about 60% of tickets will be sold in this stage. Therefore, Brazilian fans who want tickets must enter this stage in order to increase their chances,” he said.
Tickets will be available for prices ranging from R$ 40 to R$ 4,600 (US$ 15 to US$ 1,723) – the latter is the cost of a ticket for the opening ceremony on August 5th, 2016. According to the committee, 51% of tickets will cost R$ 70 (US$ 26) or less; 81% will sell for under R$ 300 (US$ 112) and 3% will be priced at above R$ 600 (US$ 225).
In order to sign up on the website and be eligible for tickets, fans must be 18 or older and have a taxpayer register number (CPF) and fixed residence in Brazil. Payment will be accepted in Visa credit cards and cash for box office sales.
Registration is available at the websites below:
In Portuguese: http://www.rio2016.com/participe/ingressos
In English: http://www.rio2016.com/en/get-involved/tickets
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
