400,000 New Tickets for Asia Games, Cap on Sports for Next Games

New Ticketing Plans to Fight Empty Seats

With swaths of empty seats at many of the events during the first days of competition, OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah announced at a Monday press conference that new tickets would be put on sale immediately.

"We will sell 400,000 new tickets and increase four more areas for selling the tickets," said Ahmad. He says unused sponsor tickets are the problem.

"This is the problem, because the sponsors give the tickets to people who are not interested in some of the sports," he said.

The OCA leader insists that organizers of the Guangzhou Games have sold out many events as they have claimed.

"We hope this will be the solution to the problem," he said.

A spokesman says GAGOC is calling on all ticket holders to either distribute the tickets to people in need, or return them to outlets across the city.

Under the changes for ticketing, venue directors and ticketing managers are being allowed greater flexibility in the way they arrange entry for spectators.

The empty seat issue at the Asian Games is similar to what happens at the Olympics, especially in the preliminary rounds of some sports. Olympic organizers have struggled to find a way to make use of empty seats resulting from unused sponsor tickets.

Despite the ticketing issue, Ahmad says the Games are operating well and that he is "very satisfied and very proud" with the way the Asian Games have been organized in Guangzhou.

Ahmad Responds to Media Complaints

Without being asked the OCA president brought up two issues of concern to the media – lack of daily information from organizers and redundant security checks.

"Sometimes when you go from venue to venue, you face a double check. We are discussing this issue now with the organizing committee andwe’ve had success in removing some of those. Because of close cooperation with the organizing committee we have found a solution."

Still, Sheikh Ahmad acknowledged that there is a need for tight security at events such as the Asian Games to protect spectators and athletes. He says that security now has grown to become one of the largest items in the budgets of Games organizing committees.

Waving a schedule of press conferences at the Main Press Centre, Ahmad pledged that the schedule will be maintained after complaints about lack of information.

"I understand the situation of the press and that they want tohave as much information as possible," he said.

In addition to maintaining the press conference schedule, Ahmad says organizers have pledged to issue daily press releases. "And we will be ready to hold press conferences at any time that there is a big issue."

Asian Games Sports Limit

With 42 sports, the Guangzhou Asian Games are setting a record for size that will not be repeated. Ahmad says the OCA general assembly, which met over the weekend, has voted for a cap of 35 sports. Of that number, 28 are Olympic sports with eight others to be chosen by organizers. Ahmad says cricket and karate have been confirmed for the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. That leaves six more to be chosen from the field of sports practiced in Asia.

"I believe this is something we have to keep with our organization. If we don’t find a good environment for home sports, then we are not helping our athletes. And for that reason, we have to keep the Asian traditional sports -- karate-do, wushu, squash, kabbadi, sepaktekraw. If we don’t give them a place to participate, they will never have games in which to participate."

ATR coverage of the Guangzhou Asian Games

is Proudly Presented by PyeongChang 2018

Written and reported in Guangzhou by Ed Hulaand Matt Horn.