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The second blog for The Yorker from the University of York Riding Club
Well, I for one have submitted my ticket application for the 2012 Olympics. Have you? Tickets for the Olympics Games to be held in London in 2012 went on sale on 15th March 2011.
Previously you could declare interest and register as a volunteer, but now, the reality of seeing the likes of Sir Chris Hoy, Rebecca Adlington, Alistair Brownlee and many more is starting to finally dawn on people.
However, whilst there’s fun and anticipation in checking to see which tickets you want, the horror when you first see the prices is finally realised.
So what are the tickets people are most craving?
Athletics is undoubtedly the first on the list with Tyson Gay and Usain Bolt lining up to create fireworks in the 100m Final on August 5th 2012. And the cost of this? A measly £725 for the best seat in the Olympic Stadium, with the lowest price coming in at £50. Is this really presenting an equal opportunity for everyone wanting to see this event live? No, of course it isn’t.
As much as I love sport and admire the athletes, I cannot get past the fact that the people in charge are just looking to profit from our love for sport. After all, charging a gargantuan price of £2,012 for Class A seats at the Opening Ceremony is disgraceful. Admittedly, the less expensive seats come in at £20.12 but if you really want to go to this Ceremony and cannot get the Class D seats (£20.12) then you will have to fork out £150 for the second least expensive ticket. Granted, the Opening Ceremony on the 27th July is going to be amazing; I personally do not believe it to be worth this unholy amount of money.
In second place for popularity, it’s swimming and GB will have some outstanding talent on show. Amongst this talent is Liam Tancock. The 25-year-old backstroke specialist recently recorded a stunning win at the Championships in Manchester on March 12th with a time of 24.95 seconds, a whole second ahead of the second place competitor.
Of course, Rebecca Adlington reaches what some call ‘super human’ feats with her swims. Adlington is a freestyle distance specialist, dominating the 800m scene in Britain. At the Manchester Championships on March 11th, she finished two seconds ahead of second placed Jazmin Carlin.
There are just too many GB swimmers to speak in length about: six swimming medals were won Beijing in 2008, with 47 medals won overall for GB. However, GB swimming officials are predicting a massive improvement upon these figures for London 2012, an exciting prospect.
Even more thrilling is the track cycling and this event takes third place for the tickets most desired for London 2012. Nobody seems surprised by this as the Men’s team pursuit looks in good shape. Barring all incidents, they will be set for a great performance on 3rd August 2012. There are a minimum of nine men battling it out throughout the course of the season leading up to the Olympics for that elusive place in the team pursuit. Such a battle will inevitably produce outstanding performances in the coming year and this is sure to be one of the most exciting events within track cycling.
Sir Chris Hoy took a memorable win in the Kierin event at the World Cup this year. Hoy stunned the rest of the field as he came the long way past four riders in the final lap. As Hoy moved to the front, with just half a lap of the track remaining, he looked superior in every way. On the final corner, the rest of the field were wiped out as the Spanish competitor hit the ground and created a domino effect on all the other riders. The worst injury was that of Malaysian rider Awang, with a 20+cm splinter of wood spearing his lower leg. Such dominance in this event can only be a positive to build on for the main event in London in just over a year’s time.
So what are my hot tips for winners in the GB squad at the London 2012 Olympics?
Liam Tancock, 50m Backstroke.
Men’s Team Pursuit, Track Cycling.
Jenny Meadows, 800m Athletics.
Emma Pooley, Road Race Cycling.
Alistair Brownlee, Triathlon.
Dai Greene, 400m Hurdles.
Rebecca Adlington, 800m Freestyle Swimming.
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