Tokyo is gearing up to host the 2020 Olympics next summer and even though it is more than a year away, the Tokyo Olympic committee has been had at work at ensuring venues are ready on time, hotels have enough space for visitors and that everything will run smoothly. Tickets will go on sale in just a few short weeks to the Japanese public via a lottery system and then in countries around the world. Are you interested in obtaining tickets of your own? Here is some information you need to know.
Resold Tickets May Not Legitimate
For those of us that live outside of Japan you will first want to ensure that you check the official website for the Olympic Committee for the country you live in. For example, if you live in the US, you check the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) website, if you live in Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee. The Tokyo Organizing committee distributes tickets through national bodies. From there, your national governing body will have an official vendor to buy tickets from.
For the Tokyo Olympics, resold tickets via a third party site are being heavily frowned upon. According to the Tokyo 2020 website, these tickets are not legitimate. With demand expected to be high and the cost high, you do not want to buy tickets that may be fake! There have been many horror stories in the past about this. In the US, tickets will be available through Cosport.com.
What If I Can’t Get Tickets Right Away?
Don’t panic! Tickets are released in waves. If you are unable to get tickets during the first wave, there is still a decent chance you may receive tickets with the second or third release of tickets. If you are adamant about getting tickets right away, there are other pricey options that you may want to consider.
One of these options is do look into making a large donation to your national Olympic body. For the right price you may be able to travel with your delegation to the games including room and board. These donations do not come cheap and may cost you upwards of $25,000 plus dollars. If you own a business, maybe you are able to justify the donation as a business expense? For the rest of us, the next option to consider would be package deals.
Ticket Packages
Do you care about what sports or events you have tickets to? If you do, you need to look at the official Olympic event schedule before you book any packages. You need to be aware of what dates you want to be in Tokyo. Packages can be a great way to take the worry out of finding accommodations during your stay and tickets to the event you want to see. They do not come cheap, however.
Accommodations are going to be based on double occupancy and will be at a higher end chain properties such as a Hilton, Hyatt or Waldorf Astoria. When I was doing my initial research packages for solo travelers, like myself, start at about $7,000 US dollars for 4 nights. By reading the fine print, I was shocked to see that the majority of options did not include the airfare. If I’m paying that much, I want to have it be all inclusive.
The only packages you will want to look into are the ones that are again, officially approved vendor list for your country. No tickets are on sale as of yet, but you are able to sign up on websites, like cosport.com, to register your interest. I would have an account ready to go so you are ready when the time comes.
Wrapping Up
The Olympics will be here before you know it. If you are looking to attend the games, you want to start looking into the details now. I’ll be doing another post about hotels and travel, but the best thing you can do right now is to have your money saved up and ready to go. With Tokyo being such a large city, I think accommodations will be easier to come by than you think. Tickets are another story. Until next time, happy travels