An attractive low-price scheme, a population of more than 1.3
billion, an army of overseas Chinese dreaming of an Olympic Games
on the home soil, plus the whole world's huge interest in the
ancient oriental land of China and the Games.
With all these factors combined, some people have given the tag
of "scarcest resource" to the tickets for the 2008 Beijing
Games.
The long-waited low price plan, released in November last year
is really a welcome surprise for all. When it costs dozens of yuan
for a movie and hundreds of yuan for a performance in China, 30
yuan (US$) for an international sports event is extraordinary.
Special tickets for students will also be offered, which account
for about 14 percent of all domestically available tickets and cost
merely 5 yuan (US$0.64) for preliminaries and 10 yuan (US$1.28) for
finals.
"China is a developing country with an average income level
lower than that of Sydney or Athens, therefore the ticket prices
should be much lower," the official statement said.
Another key reason why the Olympic Games has lasted so long lies
in its care for the common folks.
"The low-price scheme fully embodied the Olympic spirit that
everyone can enjoy the games and participate in it," noted Wei
Jizhong, former secretary-general of Chinese Olympic Committee and
current senior consultant with Beijing Organizing Committee for the
Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).
"It will enable more people who love the Games to feel the
atmosphere and the spirit of competition," a netizen named River
echoed Wei's comment.
But problems remain to be solved to let people benefit from the
plan.
For example, how can the plan ensure those who are really in
need get the tickets while reducing the number of tickets-holders
who don't check in?
Reports said that the tickets will be sold under real names and
each person can only buy a limited number of tickets. This is a
good solution. But what about those tickets that is not on open
sale? How will they be managed?
"Beijing will guarantee a fair distribution of the tickets and
will also not set multiple standards for ticket prices", Vice Mayor
Liu Jingmin promised in a program aired on Beijing Television.
"If Chinese and Westerners, the rich and the poor, are charged
different prices, it will go against the Olympic spirit," said
Liu.
(China Daily April 6, 2007)