Monday, July 30, 2012

First there weren't going to be enough security guards to provide security for all of the anticipated crowds at the Olympics, so the British military was pressed into service to fill in the gaps.

Now that there are empty seats glaring back at the international cameras, once again the British military is pressed into service to fill in the gaps. Maybe someone should have told them not to wear their uniforms. Just  saying....

Ticket touts disgrace: Row upon row of empty seats... as tickets sent to foreign VIPs go on the black market

  • Large areas of empty seats seen in stadia for the second day running
  • London 2012 chairman Lord Coe reveals students and teachers are also being called in at the last minute
  • Every tout arrested had tickets sent to foreign VIPS
  • Organisers Locog have begun an investigation into the ticketing fiasco
By Rob Preece, David Williams, Chris Greenwood and Katherine Faulkner
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Prized Olympic tickets entrusted to foreign delegations are being openly sold by touts on the streets of Britain, it emerged last night.
They are cashing in on the huge demand for seats by selling tickets sent overseas by Games organisers.
The revelation came as a row raged over embarrassing scenes of banks of empty seating at many Games venues – including last night’s swimming finals.

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Plenty of room: The scene at the Aquatics Centre on Saturday, on the first day of events
Plenty of room: The scene at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park on Saturday, on the first day of swimming events
Lots of empty rows at the Aquatics Centre in Stratford yesterday, even as Rebecca Adlington swam in her 400m freestyle heat and final
Lots of empty rows at the Aquatics Centre in Stratford yesterday, even as Rebecca Adlington swam in her 400m freestyle heat and final
Earls Court was virtually empty for Britain's volleyball match yesterday
Earls Court in west London was virtually empty yesterday for Great Britain's volleyball match yesterday
Last night Scotland Yard said every illegal seller arrested so far had held tickets despatched overseas to national committees and official re-sellers.
One of the touts held is from Germany, another from Slovakia.
The discovery raises further questions about the way in which precious tickets are allocated by the International Olympic Committee.
And it will fuel anger among millions of British sport fans who have been left watching events on TV because they failed to get a seat in last year’s ballot.
Pointing out the gaps: Soldiers fill empty IOC seats for the women's gymnastics yesterday
Pointing out the gaps: Soldiers fill empty IOC seats for the women's gymnastics yesterday
Wimbledon: There were even plenty of spare seats for Andy Murray's winning match yesterday
Wimbledon: There were even plenty of spare seats for Andy Murray's winning match yesterday
Last night, as an official probe was launched into the scandal:
  • Shadow Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said those not using their seats should be stripped of them.
  • Olympics boss Lord Coe claimed venues were ‘stuffed to the gunwales’ and dismissed pictures of the seats as ‘holiday snaps’.
  • Organisers insisted the empty seats were not allocated to sponsors, claiming they were unused by athletes, officials and the media.
  • Troops, students and teachers are being drafted in to sit in the empty seats to prevent a repeat of the embarrassing scenes.

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