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Olympics

Track And Field Seeing Dismal Attendance Numbers Compared To Recent Olympics

The "lack of spectators" in the Olympic Stadium for track and field competition has "become a storyline that parallels the exquisite work of the athletes," according to Tim Layden of SI.com. The 60,000-seat stadium last night "was no more than one-third full" when the women's 1,500 meters was run and "vast sections of the stadium were left almost empty, a sea of blue chairbacked sears laying idle in the night." The only time the stadium has been "close to full" was Sunday night, when Usain Bolt "won his third consecutive Olympic 100 meters." Even then, there were "at least hundreds -- and possibly thousands -- of empty seats." The crowd last night was the "worst yet for a night session, and anecdotally, the worst for an Olympic track and field evening session, dating back to at least" the '92 Barcelona Games. The stadium was "far less than half full" on Monday night, when Bolt "received his gold medal, and Brazilian pole vaulter Thiago da Silva won his." The small crowds contrast the turnout in the '12 London and '08 Beijing Games, which "were exceptional," and in '00 in Sydney, where the 110,000-seat stadium "was often riotously packed." Crowds 12 years ago in Athens "waxed and waned depending on whether Greek athletes were competing, but were ... never as sparse as those in Rio." Reasons for Rio's poor attendance include pricey tickets and the fact the stadium is "in a hardscrabble neighborhood far from other Olympic venues." However, the empty seats "could be a dispiriting preview of what the sport will look like when Bolt retires" after the world championships next year (SI.com, 8/17). 

LIMPING TO THE FINISH
: ROCOG Exec Dir of Communications Mario Andrada has blamed low turnout throughout the Games "in part on ticketholders getting discouraged by long lines and difficult transportation on the first days of the Games." He said that ticket booths "have been set up at venues and in downtown to encourage prospective fans." Andrada: "If we find an ingenious way to sell more tickets, we will do so." The WALL STREET JOURNAL's O'Brien & Magalhaes note "skittish guests of corporate sponsors are another reason cited for the low turnout," as an estimated 5-7% of the total tickets "went to sponsors." Andrada said that "about a third of the corporate sponsors’ tickets have been returned" to ROCOG and "resold to the public" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/17). 

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