There "are blocks of empty seats at nearly every venue at the Rio Olympic Games, and in some cases entire empty sections," according to Greg Wyshynski of YAHOO SPORTS. They are "evident to those who actually attend the events." Has "this tarnished the positive message put forth by organizers?" IOC Dir of Sports Christophe Dubi said, "It has not. We have a lot, lot, lot of sessions that are absolutely full." The Rio Olympic organizers "have presented a number of reasons for the empty seats since the Games began." The reasons include tickets "that were purchased by scalpers that are then cancelled and recycled after those scalpers were arrested" and Olympic sponsors "distributing tickets, and those tickets going unused." On Sunday, organizers "offered a new explanation for empty seats at venues within the Olympic Park: Fans buying tickets to events just to see the Park, and then never attending the event." Rio 2016 spokesperson Mario Andrada said, "We also noticed, in the last two days, that people who buy tickets to a given event, their main interest is to come and enjoy the [Olympic Park] and be here, rather than attend an Olympic event." This "sounds a little odd." Why pay for a ticket and "then not attend an event?" The Olympic Park is not exactly "bursting at the seams with attractions for fans." But that is "forgetting one big factor, as we’ve learned from the locals here in Rio: Many of these fans are buying steeply discounted tickets from scalpers, brokers and regular folks around the Olympic Park." And when you are paying 60% of face value, you do not "feel as much obligation to attend the event, especially if it’s not a sport in which a Brazilian athlete or team is challenging for a medal" (YAHOO SPORTS, 8/14).
