Asian Games ticket sales below 60% for 8 sports, closing ceremony

TOKYO – The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games organisers said on Sept 25 ticket sales are below 60 per cent for eight sports, including baseball, football and hockey, as well as for the closing ceremony.

While the organisers released the data on ticket sales as of Sept 24, they have not disclosed how many seats are being made available at each venue.

By contrast, more than 90 per cent of tickets have been sold for 13 sports such as badminton and fencing, while more than 80 per cent have been sold for seven sports, including basketball, artistic gymnastics and volleyball, the organisers said.

A number of events have seen empty seats at the ongoing games despite some listed as “sold out” for general sales. The main reason is believed to be invitational tickets and those sold to companies not actually being used.

The opening ceremony held on Sept 19 at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium was far from packed, and it was a similar story on Sept 24 when track-and-field events kicked off at the venue. KYODO NEWS