Ticket prices for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will start "as low as" £15 ($22.90), according to Matty Sutton of the HERALD SCOTLAND. Two-thirds of the 1 million tickets for Glasgow 2014 "will be priced at" £25 ($38). However, some events "will be at the higher end of the sliding scale." The most expensive tickets, for important medal events in swimming, athletics, boxing and track cycling, will be £90 ($138). There will "also be a limited number of premium ringside seats for the boxing finals" which will be priced at £120 ($183). And, for the first time at a Commonwealth Games, "children will be entitled to half-price tickets" -- alongside the over-60s (HERALD SCOTLAND, 5/13).
PRICING STRATEGY: In Edinburgh, Martyn McLaughlin reported those behind the strategy said that "they had put considerable thought into making the tickets affordable for all," and added that they "had learned lessons from large-scale sporting events" such as the 2012 London Olympics. Glasgow 2014 Chair Robert Smith said, "This isn’t just about selling a million tickets -- it’s about making the games accessible to all." The first phase of ticket sales will be open from Aug. 19 to Sept. 16. A ticketing guide, which includes an application form, will be available on July 23. Ticketmaster "will conduct all sales via online and by post." For those sports where high demand is expected, such as the 100m final, "tickets will be allocated through an independent and computerised draw" (SCOTSMAN, 5/13). XINHUA reported Glasgow 2014 said that at least 70% of all tickets "would be available to the public," with just 8% "set aside for sponsors, who would also have to pay." In the athletics competition, there are "six price categories," but for most other events there "will only be two or three price bands" (XINHUA, 5/13).
