Rio Olympics Organizing Committee CEO Leonardo Gryner revealed Rio 2016 wants to "flexibilize" the sale of tickets and the last minute occupation of seats at Olympic events to "avoid the problems faced by London 2012," according to Paula Adamo Idoeta of the BBC Brasil. The committee also wants to "avoid combining two games in one session" like London has done on occasions because a lot of people just watch one of the games leaving the other venue empty. Gryner said, "The question of tickets is a preoccupation for any organizing committee. It is a challenge controlling the presence of people in stadiums. They buy or win tickets, but they do not attend. I am certain that in Rio there will be a better result than in London, but we do recognize it's a huge challenge." Gryner also revealed that another topic of preoccupation is transportation in Rio. Gryner: "The lesson is that here (London) the transport is working well. We are going to take the experience to Rio" (BBC Brasil, 8/3). The AP's Stephen Wilson reported that Brazilian organizers are "promising full venues at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, vowing to avoid the problem of empty seats that has dogged the London Games." When it comes to the cost of the Rio Games, Rio officials "acknowledged they don't have an exact figure" at this point but they should have precise budget numbers next year (AP, 8/3).
