Third phase of Olympic ticket sales to begin in May

Third phase of Olympic ticket sales to begin in MayUpdated：2008-04-23

(BEIJING, April 23) -- BOCOG announced Wednesday the official dates of the third phase of Olympic ticket sales within the Chinese mainland. Between May 5 and June 9, interested persons may visit designated Bank of China ticket outlets or sign-up at the BOCOG Ticketing Center website to apply for tickets. Because the number of tickets allotted for Bank of China outlets during this phase of sales is lower than in phases one or two, fans are urged to phone the Ticketing Call Center for more information at +86 10 952008 or to visit the Beijing Olympic ticketing website, www.tickets.beijing2008.cn.

Like the first two phases, this third period of ticket sales is only open for individual sales; group sales are not permitted. Ticket purchasers must apply with valid identification (for more information, please visit the Beijing Olympic ticketing website). The purchase limit is 2 sessions per application and 3 tickets per session.

Unlike the first two phases, however, tickets sold during this phase will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Available tickets may be reserved for a limited period of time; however, if reserved tickets are not paid for in the allotted amount of time, they will be canceled and resold. Tickets for wheelchair seats for the Olympics can be attained through Gehua Ticketmaster Ticketing's customer service hotline.

According to BOCOG, 1.38 million tickets will be put on sale during this last phase, which include tickets for 17 disciplines in 16 sports for a total of 244 matches. These sports include athletics, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, flatwater canoe/kayak, mountain biking, equestrian, football, handball, field hockey, modern pentathlon, rowing, softball, marathon swimming, volleyball, and wrestling. For each event, barrier-free seat tickets will be available; about 20 thousand tickets in all are offered in this category.