Tickets.com Client Spotlight: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games tickets confirmed today for Canadians; ice hockey, curling and snowboard tickets still available

VANCOUVER, Dec. 10 /CNW/ - After five long weeks of patiently waiting, Canadians who requested 2010 Olympic Winter Games tickets in Phase 1 will find out today what tickets they have secured, and can start planning what additional tickets they'll look for when the Priority Access Period opens from December 12-22.

An e-mail sent today from the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) will invite each account holder to log on to their ticket account at www.vancouver2010.com and view the result of their request. These same ticket buyers will also have the exclusive right to buy remaining tickets on a first-come, first-served basis beginning this Friday, December 12 at 9:00 am (Pacific Time). Any tickets remaining after this period, plus any tickets released from the contingency and any remaining Victory Ceremony tickets, will go on sale to the public in mid-2009. VANOC will begin selling tickets to the Paralympic Winter Games on May 6, 2009.

While demand for the majority of sports meant that many sessions were allocated by lottery, there are still tickets remaining, including tickets to preliminary sessions for high-demand sports such as ice hockey and curling. With competitions such as ice hockey, large-capacity venues such as Canada Hockey Place will allow a large number of fans to experience the thrill of seeing elite athletes compete at the highest level, as the shorter tournament competition format ensures every match holds particular significance as competitors vie to finish high in the standings to earn important rest days.

Along with the confirmation of ticket orders today, VANOC issued a reminder to fans to be wary of tickets offered for sale through channels other than www.vancouver2010.com (in partnership with VANOC's official ticketing services supplier tickets.com) and official 2010 Winter Games hospitality partners JetSet Sports and CoSport.

"We encourage everyone to 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'll experience if they discover at the gate their ticket is invalid," said Caley Denton, VANOC vice-president ticketing and consumer marketing. "We are continuing to work with our partner tickets.com on an authorized ticket resale program where people will be able to offer their tickets for sale, and customers will be able to buy with confidence knowing our bar code technology has confirmed the tickets are legitimate."

Details on VANOC's official ticket resale market will be announced later in 2009; however, until then, VANOC's website www.vancouver2010.com or its official hospitality partners, JetSet Sports and CoSport, are the only Canadian sources where people can be confident their 2010 Winter Games tickets are authentic.

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.