So there I was on the 6th July 2005, glued to the TV, awaiting the outcome of the venue for the 2012 Olympic Games. “London”. Cue pandemonium and the whole country talking about how amazing it would be to go to the Games, the excitement we will all feel, and what a fantastic legacy it will leave.
Fast forward 6 years, and most of us are coming to terms with the fact that the closest we’ll get to the ‘Games’ is the coverage on the BBC. I applied for tickets and didn’t get any, and yes I’m bitter.
Ok, so I only originally applied for £500 worth of tickets, but on the basis that the money would be taken before I knew what I’d get if I was successful (fat chance), I went in to the process with a slight feeling of caution, otherwise I’ll end up with tickets for everything (stop laughing at the back). Like many that applied for 5 times this amount, I got nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nadder. All I was left with was a ‘second chance ballot’ offer.
So there I was this morning, up at 6am to have a go at getting the last few tickets for next years’ spectacular! There were some top-notch events still on offer… Freestyle Wrestling, Water Polo and Egg & Spoon. But then, then inevitable happened. The website crashed. ‘We are experiencing difficulties at the moment due to a high volume of traffic’ – reminded me of something you’d see on the M1.
I honestly think putting tickets in bars of chocolate would have been a simpler and fairer way of doing this.
My issue lies with the lack of information around the whole process, but ultimately I think it comes down to the lack of tickets. A very large percentage of tickets have no doubt been sidelined for sponsors and corporates – Charlie Bucket need not apply.
I am not gloating but I received all the tickets I applied for – which was equally ridiculous as not receiving any at all. I think the whole process for acquiring tickets has been a joke. (Now I’ve got to go about off loading some aswell!)