IOC to Overhaul Ticketing Distribution and Opening Ceremony Plans for 2012

IOC President Jacques Rogge arrives in London for the debrief Monday.(ATR) The IOC could play a lead role in ticketing distribution plans for London 2012 following the troubles that beset BOCOG in meeting the demands of national Olympic committees in the months leading up to the 2008 Games.

The energy-sapping role of athletes in Beijing’s lavish opening ceremony, many of whom were left waiting outside the Bird’s Nest in sweltering temperatures for several hours before the athletes’ parade, is a scenario also unlikely to be repeated for the 2012 Games.

Ticketing and ceremonies are among a raft of Olympic issues being reviewed this week by the IOC as part of it’s debrief of the Beijing Games. More than 400 officials from the IOC, BOCOG, London 2012, VANOC and Sochi 2014, plus representatives from the 2016 candidate cities and other Olympic stakeholders, are in London for four days of discussions about the Beijing Olympics.

IOC President Jacques Rogge addressed delegates in the plenary session Monday at the Radisson SAS Portman Hotel, venue for the debrief. He praised BOCOG for its organizational efforts and underlined the importance of the week’s meetings to the Olympics and future Games hosts.

Rogge is giving the 2008 Pierre de Coubertin Lecture Monday evening and is due to tour the Olympic Park in east London Tuesday.

London Mayor Boris Johnson, IOC Beijing Coordination Commission chair Hein Verbruggen and the IOC’s Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli also addressed the audience, which included eight IOC members. BOCOG’s Executive Vice President Liu Jingmin reviewed the Beijing Games and LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe spoke about London’s preparations.

The potential changes for London 2012, which could also include scrapping the international portion of the Olympic torch relay, are recommended in a list of “issues to be addressed” for future Olympics in a report produced by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).

Of the 204 NOCs who participated in the Beijing Games, 160 responded to a questionnaire detailing their comments and concerns about the Olympics and ideas for London 2012.

Speaking to the European Olympic Committees general assembly in Istanbul last week, Gunilla Lindberg, ANOC’s secretary general, paid tribute to BOCOG and said the NOCs had given “overall positive remarks” about the Beijing Games. The Olympic Village, training and competition venues, BOCOG’s organization and the The 272-room Radisson SAS Portman Hotel in London’s West End is the venue for the series of meetings about the lessons of the Beijing Olympics.Chinese volunteers came in for special praise.

But there were concerns about ticketing distribution to NOCs; many NOCs were upset by the amount of tickets allotted to them even after BOCOG made more available after bowing to IOC pressure.

The IOC member from Sweden said ANOC was proposing the IOC “take control over the ticket system and find solutions for all stakeholders.”

On Beijing’s spectacular opening ceremony, she said that “for some athletes it was a nightmare," explaining that they had to endure a four-hour wait in stifling humidity prior to their participation in the ceremony Aug. 8.

“Some athletes had problems competing in the coming days. We know it’s a very important ceremony and it should be for the athletes,” Lindberg said. “Something has to be done there.”

Other ANOC proposals that will be addressed at the debrief include: improvements in the status and role of NOC relations services with OCOGs; qualification rules to the Olympics and quota places; improvements in the technical system for accreditations and the fight against doping.

Part of the IOC’s Transfer of Knowledge program, the debrief run by the IOC and LOCOG covers all functional areas of the Olympics.

The services delivered by BOCOG to the Olympic Family came under scrutiny in one of two parallel sessions Monday. LOCOG had 100 observers in Beijing and its observations, reflections and questions were raised at the forum. The other session was on ‘Workforce.'

On Tuesday, there are workshops on NOCs and athletes, marketing partners, media and an Olympic Games Impact study meeting. Other sessions focus on Games-stakeholders' experiences, international sports federations and Paralympic stakeholders.

The issues on Wednesday’s agenda include spectators, venue development and management, security, ceremonies and the Olympic village. There are breakout sessions on sport, transport, finance, torch relay, culture and education and live sites, communications, accommodation and logistics.

Brand presentation, accreditation, environment and sustainability are some of the themes for Thursday’s business. Technology issues were put under the microscope in meetings held last week.

The debrief wraps up with a press conference at 8 a.m. on Thursday.

With reporting from Mark Bisson in London.

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