Over 150,000 tickets to Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games up for sale June 6

Canadians can still purchase tickets to all events, including gold medal ice hockey, curling and ceremonies

VANCOUVER, May 29 /CNW/ - Canadians hoping to land dream tickets to an Olympic ice hockey showdown or the emotional spectacle of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will have another opportunity to secure tickets starting at 10:00 am (Pacific Time) Saturday, June 6 when the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) releases more than 150,000 tickets for sale to the public at www.vancouver2010.com.

Tickets for every sporting event, as well as the Opening, Closing and nightly Victory Ceremonies at the 2010 Winter Games will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

"This is a major release of tickets before the 2010 Winter Games, and is the best remaining opportunity for Canadian Olympic fans to get their hands on tickets," said Caley Denton, vice president, ticketing and consumer marketing for VANOC. "We want to make sure everyone's ready on Saturday morning, so take a minute to register a ticketing account if you don't already have one and have a look at the schedules ahead of time. Whether you're an ice hockey or a biathlon fan, or love the drama and colour of the ceremonies, tickets to every event will be available. We've worked hard to make as many tickets available as possible, and based on the enthusiasm shown by Canadians we anticipate demand will be high."

In addition to the more than 150,000 competition and Opening and Closing Ceremonies tickets, this marks the first time thousands of Victory Ceremony tickets will be available as single tickets for $22. Previously they could only be purchased through the bundled Olympic Experience Packages available in the first round of sales. The nightly ceremonies at BC Place in downtown Vancouver will pay tribute to the medal-winning athletes as the International Olympic Committee recognizes the day's accomplishments. Following the medal presentations, the athletes' triumphs will be honoured with a celebration concert featuring renowned entertainers.

On June 6, ticket customers visiting www.vancouver2010.com will be directed to a virtual waiting room, where they will be randomly selected to enter the Vancouver 2010 ticketing website. Once signed into their account, customers will be able to purchase up to four separate events, with a limit of four tickets per event. If a customer wants to order more than the limit of six events, they will need to start a new transaction.

Helpful tips:
-------------

- To save time, previously registered customers are advised to sign
into their ticketing account at www.vancouver2010.com before June 6
to ensure their username and password are up-to-date and functional.
- New customers without an existing account can save time by pre-
registering an account before June 6.

- The Competition Schedule, including the draws for the ice hockey
tournaments for the Games and ticket prices, is posted on
www.vancouver2010.com to make it easier for customers to plan their
ticket-buying strategy ahead of time.

- VANOC reminds customers that Visa is the only payment card accepted.
- Customers will also have the option to select an offline payment
and mail in a cheque.

- Entry to the system is random - refreshing the web page will not
reduce your wait time.

- Plan ahead for purchases and ensure you have sufficient credit
available in your account as purchases will be charged immediately.

- Be wary of tickets offered for sale through unofficial channels. The
only official sources for Canadians for tickets to the Vancouver 2010
Olympic Winter Games are www.vancouver2010.com (in partnership with VANOC's official ticketing services supplier Tickets.com) and
official 2010 Winter Games hospitality partners Jet Set Sports and
CoSport.
- Be vigilant about individuals or companies offering "guaranteed"
tickets for sale. For most people, even a "money-back" guarantee
is little consolation for the disappointment, inconvenience and
embarrassment they will experience if they discover at the gate
that their ticket is invalid.

- Customers may also purchase tickets by phone at 1.800.TICKETS
(1.800.842.5387), and a TDD/TTY service is available for persons who
are deaf or hard of hearing at 604.629.7140.

Background

Beginning on October 3, 2008 the Canadian public was invited to submit requests for tickets to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Within a month, Canadian residents had submitted requests for more than $345 million in tickets. This overwhelming response was 4.5 times greater than the first phase of ticketing sales for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games ($75 million over nine weeks), the most recent Olympic Games held in North America. As a result, approximately 120 of 170 ticketed sessions for the 2010 Winter Games were allocated by lottery.

On December 12, 2008, remaining tickets from this first phase allotment were re-released for sale exclusively to ticket buyers who had participated in the initial ticket-request period; the remaining inventory was sold that day.

Earlier this month, VANOC opened the sale of tickets to the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. Strong demand saw all available inventory to the gold medal ice sledge hockey game sold on the first day. Paralympic Games tickets will be available until June 5, but will be temporarily unavailable for purchase during Phase 2 of Olympic Games ticket sales.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

For further information: Media Contact: Jason Macnaughton, Vancouver
2010, (604) 403-2734, jason_macnaughton@vancouver2010.com.