The “most affordable” Olympics in history left local fans outraged after the first tickets for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games went on sale with thousand-dollar price tags.
Despite organizers branding the event as accessible to locals, many fans who logged on for their assigned time slots this week found that tickets for popular sessions were either sold out or priced at several thousand dollars, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Andie Pangan, 28, told the outlet she had hoped to secure seats for tennis or climbing, as she lives just 10 minutes from a primary venue in Carson. Instead, she found events unavailable or priced well above $1,000.
“I was shocked,” Pangan said. “Even climbing was all gone. I never really thought I would come out of this presale without getting anything.”
The pricing structure has drawn unfavorable comparisons to previous international and domestic sporting events. While LA28 officials stated that 75 percent of tickets would be priced under $400, those attempting to buy during the opening window found single seats for the opening ceremony ranging from $329 to $5,519.
By comparison, the most expensive tickets for swimming finals at the Paris 2024 Games were capped at approximately $1,050.
On the domestic front, while the 2028 prices reflect a growing trend in U.S. sports — where Super Bowl entry prices now frequently exceed $6,000 and World Series box seats can average $1,200 — the Olympics had been marketed as a community-inclusive event.
Harris Auerbach, an Agoura Hills resident, told the L.A. Times that track event prices were “in the stratosphere.”
Auerbach, who has attended the NBA Finals and the Kentucky Derby, said he had never paid more than $400 for a Final Four national championship seat. He said such prices would be out of reach for people like his wife, a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
“I don’t know how they can go,” Auerbach said. “I don’t know how they can afford it. It’s a missed opportunity for the Olympics and for the area.”
Technical glitches only added to the frustration. Some users reported being booted from the queue or facing “Access Denied” messages for hours.
Kirsten Simitzi of the San Fernando Valley told the outlet she was locked out of the system for two and a half hours, by which time “the pickings were slim.”
In a statement, LA28 organizers said any technical issues were “not widespread” and had been resolved. They added that the 24 percent service fee — a point of contention for many buyers — was “standard industry practice” for U.S. live events and covered secure processing and delivery.
Ticketing experts say these high fees are largely a U.S. problem. Ahmed Nimale, a former Live Nation executive, told the outlet that while European fees usually stay in the single digits, U.S. venues often bundle financing and distribution costs into a single “opaque” price.
Organizers have sought to reassure the public that more affordable tickets will be released in future drops later this year.
However, for residents like Auerbach, the initial experience has been deterrent enough. Citing the high costs and the 24 percent “icing on the cake” service charge, he said his family now plans to use the money for travel instead.
The 2028 Games will mark the first time Los Angeles has hosted the Olympics since 1984.
Source: independent.co.uk