Ticket Victims to Sue IOC, Nike Ends Elite Swimwear Line, Olympic Venues Open for Holiday

Hundreds of victims are forming a class-action lawsuit to sue IOC over phony Olympics tickets. (Getty Images)Hundreds Set to Sue IOC Over Ticket Scam

Texas class-action lawyer Jim Moriarty is representing 400 victims from around the world in a suit against the IOC over phony Olympics tickets. According to reports, the suit is seeking millions from the IOC.

The lawyer, who also lost $12,000 to the scam, alleges that the IOC knew that beijingticketing.com existed but failed to take action soon enough.

“These fraud Web sites were using trade names that belonged to IOC. All the IOC or USOC would have had to have done is file a cybersquatting lawsuit and then generate some publicity over it and people would have realized that they were using the wrong sites."

London-based publication Sportcal,com quotes an IOC official who says swift action was taken to banish the unauthorized site.

“The IOC can’t stress enough the importance of purchasing tickets through official and authorised sources only. Sadly, there are some fraudulent dealers who are out to cheat fans, something we deplore,” says the official in Sportcal.com.

Moriarty believes that the alleged perpetrators still have the money and should be prosecuted in either the U.S. or the U.K.

“The scamsters need to go to jail.

"The English authorities need to do something to them above and beyond spanking their hand by saying 'You can't illegally operate a company'."

Some families lost funds in excess of $100,000 to the ticketing scam. It is believed that around 800 families were victims to the plot.

Moriarty believes that the FBI is also looking into the ticket scandal. He says he plans to file his lawsuits within the next 30 to 60 days.

Nike Exits the Pool

Elite swimmers will no longer be donning Nike’s trademark swoosh in the pool. The company announced last week that it was conceding the market to rival Speedo. It will, however, continue to provide suits for universities and retail customers.

According to reports, Nike is third in the competitive swimwear market with sales Nike will stop supporting elite swimming at the end of the year. Brendan Hansen, one of the company’s clients, is one of several swimmers whose contracts are unlikely to be renewed. (Getty Images)around $200 million.

It is not likely that Nike will sign any new swimmers once its current athletes’ contracts expire. Those swimmers include Olympians Cullen Jones, Jason Lezak, Aaron Piersol and Brendan Hansen.

"Nike getting out of the championship swimming market is the death of American elite swimming as we know it," said Olympic agent Evan Morgenstein, who represents almost every elite swimmer under contract with Nike.

"Some swimmers make 95 percent of their income in non-Olympic years from these apparel deals.”

He added that because of Nike’s exit, the USOC and USA Swimming might have to take a more active role in securing Olympic venues are expected to see more tourists during the upcoming National Day holiday.funds for its athletes.

"It's not so cool traveling the world representing your country if you can't support yourself. We're going to have trouble at the World Championships in 2009 and the Olympics in 2012 if this isn't addressed immediately."

Olympic Venues Open for National Holiday

Beijing’s most popular venues will have another flow of tourists during the country’s week-long National Day break.

Visitors will be able to pay for entry into the Bird's Nest, the Water Cube or national aquatics centre, the national indoor stadium and the international zone of the Olympics Village.

Wang Chun, secretary-general of the Olympic Green management committee, told China Daily that there will be a limited number of tickets each day for the assorted venues.

There will be 80,000 tickets available each day for the Bird’s Nest for $7.50 each. Water Cube tickets will be limited to 12,000 daily at $4.50 a piece. For $3, visitors can experience either the indoor stadium or the international zone.

National Day festivities, which celebrate the founding of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1, include government-organized fireworks and concerts. Officials expect that Olympic venues will increase the number of domestic tourists from five million to seven million.

Written by

Trista McGlamery

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