The organisers of London 2012 have warned spectators to check their tickets carefully before attending events, after a mix-up at the archery on Friday.
Hundreds of fans turned up at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Friday morning to watch the preliminary round of the event, after seeing the session listed as “unticketed” in some Olympic Games brochures.
However, the listing appears to have been the result of a misunderstanding as to the precise meaning of ‘unticketed’ by fans, some of LOCOG’s overseas ticketing partners, and sections of the media – with the word being misinterpreted to mean fans could turn up and gain entry for free.
The session is not even mentioned in LOCOG’s official archery brochure and the organisers insist they have always made it clear that such events are not for spectators.
“Tickets have not been advertised or sold by LOCOG for the archery ranking event which starts today at Lord’s,” a statement read. “We have always made it clear that the preliminary rounds are not open for spectators.”
LOCOG went on to warn spectators to be sure of the validity of their tickets for other events and sessions, with a number of unaffiliated companies purporting to have Olympic wares.
The statement added: “There are a number of unofficial websites claiming to sell tickets, we therefore advise people to be extremely cautious and vigilant when attempting to buy tickets and only purchase from an official source.
“If in doubt, there is a url checker on our website which will identify official sources.”
Friday’s archery event at Lord’s was to decide seedings for the various events, with competitors also getting the chance to familiarise themselves with the surroundings.
The absence of fans meant no one was present to see the first and second world records of the Olympic Games set, as South Korea’s Im Dong-hyun – who is legally blind – scored 699 (from 72 arrows) in the ranking round of the men’s individual archery. South Korea’s three-man men’s team then followed that lead by breaking the world record for 216 arrows.
The first ticketed event gets underway at 9am on Saturday.
Some events of the Games are partly non-ticketed, such as the road cycling, but these are clearly listed by organisers on the official London 2012 material.
© ESPN EMEA Ltd
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