Beijing Olympics wheelchair-accessible seats still available

Beijing Olympics wheelchair-accessible seats still availableUpdated：2008-05-09
(BEIJING, May 9) -- Thursday was the third day of Phase 3 ticketing for the Beijing Olympics. All regular seating tickets to Olympic events taking place in Beijing and Hong Kong have been reserved; the only tickets remaining are for football events held outside of Beijing. According to Xinhua, representatives of BOCOG emphasized, however, that although these tickets have been reserved, this does not mean that they have been picked up. Therefore, there may be some tickets that will be sold at the door during the Games.

Wang Hui, director of the BOCOG media and communications department, explained that those that have reserved tickets have until May 14 to pay for them. Those tickets that have not been fully paid for will be leftover to be sold during the actual events in August and September.
In contrast to the frenzy over regular tickets for Olympic events, barrier-free seating is still available for many competitions, including the finals of track and field, women's volleyball, and other popular events.
Because wheelchair-accessible seats are relatively small in number compared to regular seats, those that wish to reserve the special tickets must call the ticketing hotline. Wheelchair-accessible ticket applicants have the opportunity to also apply for a companion ticket, which is the same as a regular seat. At present, over 20,000 barrier-free seating tickets are still available for 17 event sessions. These tickets must be paid for immediately via Visa card online, or within three days of reservation at participating Bank of China outlets.
During the Games, those holding companion tickets must attend the sporting event with holders of tickets for wheelchair-accessible seats.