In recent years, Olympic ticketing programmes have demonstrated the popularity of the Olympic Games in host nation markets and around the world. Most of the Olympic Games in recent decades have been very well-attended, and most programmes have far exceeded the OCOG’s revenue targets.

Olympic ticketing programmes seek to ensure that the public has the opportunity to attend Olympic events by providing tickets at fair market prices and by offering tickets that all socio-economic groups can afford to purchase.

The following charts provide facts and figures regarding Olympic ticketing programmes, including the number of tickets available, the number of tickets sold, and the revenue generated to support the staging of the games. It is difficult, however, to draw conclusions about the success of Olympic ticketing programmes through direct comparison of one programme to another, because a variety of factors, such as host country population and market fluctuations, may influence ticket sales.

Beijing 2008

More than seven million tickets for the Beijing 2008 Olympics will go on sale in 2007 and Chinese spectators will have access to at least half of them, a ratio higher than in recent games.

In developing the plan, BOCOG took into account an evaluation of the ticketing policies of previous Olympic Games and other major international events, consultations with experts in the field and extensive market research.

Throughout the process, the Organising Committee was guided by its commitment to ensure the greatest number of people would be able to experience the Olympic values and spirit and the national drive to develop a harmonious society.

The result is a ticketing programme that reflects the characteristics of both the Olympic Games and their host country. Economic experts agreed.

“The low prices are in tune with ground realities, and will help more people watch the games,” said Wei Jizhong, president of the Beijing Olympic Economy Research Association.

“Filling the venues with spectators is much more important than making profits. We are people-oriented, not money-oriented.”

The Games of the XXIX Olympiad – Beijing 2008 will take place from 8 August 2008 until 24 August 2008. The games in Beijing will play host to the 28 summer sports currently on the Olympic programme.

Approximately 10,500 athletes are expected to participate in the games, with around 20,000 accredited media bringing the games to the world.

Maltese Olympic Committee and ticket allocation

The Maltese Olympic Committee will have an allocation for Beijing Olympic Games tickets.

These are reserved tickets for the Olympic family allowing foreign spectators in 202 countries and regions worldwide to buy their

tickets via their own Olympic Committees; otherwise spectators will have to purchase their tickets when released by the BOCG to the general public in China.

To ensure the availability of tickets, it is recommended that interested persons book their tickets through the Maltese Olympic Committee before the end of March 2007.

For detailed pricing, visit www.nocmalta.org or contact the secretary general, Mr Joseph Cassar, on tel.: 2133-2801 for more information.

Darren Gilford and Therese Mallia compete in British events

MOC elite athlete Darren Gilford and aspirant athlete Therese Mallia recently went up to the UK to compete at the Midlands Counties Athletics Association Indoor Championships. In addition, Darren underwent a training camp and was also invited to participate in the European Indoor Trials and UK Championships.

Therese Mallia successfully managed to come first in the 60m indoor heats with a 7.94s in the Open category. With this satisfactory result, her objective is to continue training harder to focus on achieving the GSSE qualification times.

Darren spent 13 days in the UK training a minimum of twice a day under the supervision of coach Jivko Jetchev.

Apart from being offered a chance to join the Bolton Athletics Club, he also managed to compete against the best British athletes in the Norwich Union European Trials.

At these trials, Darren qualified for the 60m indoor semi-finals. Although being in good shape, he did not achieve his personal best (which is 6.76s); if he had done so, he would have placed in the top eight of the UK.

As was expected, the level at these trials was very high. Overall winner was Craig Pickerings with 6.54s, which is the fastest time in Europe this year. On the other hand, Mark Lewis Francis, who is one of Europe’s fastest athletes, only made it to the semi-finals.

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Games for European Small States 2007 – athletes’ profiles

Darren Francis Gilford

Age: 24 years

Sport: athletics

Discipline: 100m, 60m, 4x100m

Club: Athleta Pembroke

Started: 1996

Job/Student status: ICT System Administrator with General Softdrinks Ltd

National Records:

• 1999 Junior Record Long Jump – 6.38m

• 2001 Junior Record 60m – 6.99s

• 2001 Junior Record 100m – 10.80s

• 2001 National Record 200m – 21.82s

• 2003 National Record 4x100m – 41s

• 2003 National Record 100m – 10.55s

• 2004 National Record 60m – 6.82s

• 2004 National Record 60m – 6.76s

• 2005 National Record 100m – 10.54s

• 2005 National Record 4x100m – 40.63s

Achievements:

• one gold medal, two silver medals and two bronze medals at various editions of the Games of the Small States of Europe (2001, San Marino: 4x100m – silver; 2003, Malta: 4x100m – silver, 100m – bronze; 2005, Andorra: 4x100m – gold, 100m – bronze).

• Pembroke Athleta Most Dedicated Award 1995/1996

• Pembroke Athleta Most Dedicated Award 1998

• MAAA Best Technical Achievement Men Junior 2000/2001

• MAAA Outstanding Achievement Young Male Athlete 2001

• MOC Sports Awards Bronze 2003/2004/2005

• MOC Sports Awards Gold 4x100m 2005

• Represented Malta at a number of European and world athletics competitions

• Represented Malta at the Athens Olympics 2004 – 10.67s (fastest time for a Maltese 100m sprinter)

Carol Walsh

Age: 44 years

Job Status: housewife and athlete

Hobbies: reading

Sport: athletics

Discipline: long distance

Club: Athleta Pembroke

National records: 3,000m, 5,000m, 10,000m, Half Marathon, Full Marathon.

Personal Bests:

800m – 2:15.16, 1,500m – 4:33.19, 3000m – 9:37, 5,000m – 16:43, 10,000m – 34:25, Half Marathon – 1:14:19, Marathon – 2:36:53.

Achievements:

• 1993 to 2005: Participated in 10 Games of the Small States of Europe winning three gold medals, four silver medals and three bronze medals.

• 1997: Silver medal in Mediterranean Games

• 1997: Won Dublin Marathon

• 1996: Marathon National record of 2:36:53 and second place in Florence Marathon

• 2000: Gold in VETS Half Marathon World Championships

• 2001: Gold in VETS 10km European Championships

• 2005: Gold in VETS 10km European Championships

• 2006: Gold in 10km race in Oregon America with 36.04

Other: Represented Malta at the Barcelona Olympic Games, 1992, and again at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996

Titles awarded: Medalja Ghall-Qadi Tar-Repubblika, seven times national sportswoman of the year

MOC Sports Awards: Gold in 2005 and silver in 2003

Karl Farrugia

Age: 25 years

Sport: athletics

Discipline: 400m, 200m, 100m

Club: Allcomers Aloysians

Started: De La Salle College aged 12 years

Job: Graduated as mechanical engineer in 2003 and working as a Production Manager with Toly Products Malta

Personal Bests:

• Outdoors: 100m – 11.07s, 200m – 22.29, 400m – 49.36s

• Relays: 4x400m – 3min16.25s

Held National record: 4x400m outdoors Open

Achievements:

• Four medals at the Games of the Small States of Europe namely: bronze – 4x100m, bronze – 4x400m, San Marino, 2001; bronze – 4x400m, Malta, 2003; silver – 4x400m, Andorra, 2005

Represented Malta at the following games:

• FISEC Games Canary Islands 1999

• University Games Beijing 2001, Daegue (South Korea) 2003

• Mediterranean Games, Tunis 2001

• European Cup 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004,2005

Francesca Xuereb

Age: 15 years

Sport: athletics – 400m, 800m

Club: Starmax AC

Started: 2000, Starmax AC

Job/Student status: Fifth former at Margaret Mortimer Girls’ Junior Lyceum

Hobbies: reading, going out with friends, and doing crafts

Personal bests:

• 400m – 56.17s

• 800m – 2:16:11mins

Cadet National Records (2004):

• 300m – 42.99s

• 1,200m – 4:00:22mins

National Record 4x100m, U/16 – 49.32s (2005)

Youth National Record: 400m – 56.17s (2006)

Achievements:

• Cadet National Champion – 300m, 1,200m (2004)

• Silver medal – 200m, Tullamore, Ireland (2004)

• Bronze medal – 1,500m, Tullamore, Ireland (2004)

• Youth National Champion – 200m, 400m, 800m, shot put (2005)

• Youth National Champion – 100m, 200m, 400m, shot put, 75m hurdles, 4x100m (Starmax) (2006)

• Youth National Champion (overall – track and field) (2006)

• Senior National Champion – 400m (2006)

• Gold medal – 4x400m, 400m, silver medal – 4x100m, bronze medal – 800m, Xémes Jeux des Iles, Sicily (2006)

• Bronze medal – 800m, Balaton Championships, Hungary (2006)

• Gold medal – 800m, silver medal – 4x100m, 300m, 300m hurdles, FISEC Games, Hungary (2006)

• Gold medal – 4x60m, bronze medal – 300m, European Kids Athletics Games, Czech Republic (2006)

Other:

• Seventh place: 200m U/13, Crystal Palace (2003)

• Eighth place: 100m U/13, Crystal Palace (2003)

• Eighth place: Long jump U/13, Crystal Palace (2003)

• Youth Athlete of The Year 2006

• Third place: Ghazliet Sportivi Nazzjonali 2006 U/17

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MIA Olympic Special – What’s On

On Thursday on TVM at 5pm; Friday on E22 at 9pm (RPT; Sunday on E22 at 10am (RPT) and Monday on E22 at 2.30pm (RPT); the programme will feature the following:

GSSE section – table

tennis

The Games of the Small States of Europe will be taking place from the 4-9 June 2007 in Monaco.

Table tennis was first introduced at the Luxembourg games in 1995, when Malta was not represented in this discipline. Maltese table tennis athletes took part in the Iceland edition in 1997, for the first time, winning at total of five medals – one gold, two silver and two bronze; since then, table tennis has been represented at the last five editions.

Malta’s first gold medal was won by Johanna Grech and Shen Chan in the doubles. Since then, Malta has won a total of five gold, nine silver and four bronze medals.

Athletes preparing for the next edition of these games include Simon Gerada who took two fold medals and a bronze medal at the last games in Andorra; and Andrezei Makowski who won a gold medal, a silver medal and a bronze medal as these same games.

Find out more about the preparations for the Maltese table tennis team in this feature.

Featured event

The Equestrian Show-jumping Championship organised by the Maghtab Centre, Maghtab and endorsed by the Malta Equestrian Federation took place on Saturday 17 February. Find out in this feature what happened at this event.

MOC director

Mr Envic Galea is the Maltese Olympic Committee’s Director of Youth.

He has been a member of the MOC’s Executive Committee for over 15 years. As Director of Youth, he is responsible for formulating MOC’s policy on young athletes and on the role of sport in education at all levels.

He is also responsible for organising Malta’s Olympic Youth Sports Fest and all matters connected with the European Youth Olympic Days and the Island Games (COJI). He is also responsible for the Maltese Olympic Committee’s Talent Identification Programme and courses for Youth Coaches.

Find out more about the role of the Director of Youth in this short interview with Mr Envic Galea.

Highlight events

This week’s highlights will focus on the Top Six Tennis Competition organised by the Malta Tennis Federation which is taking place from the 19-24 February at the Marsa Sports Club.

A short feature will remind us of Malta’s success at the Games of the Small States of Europe in Iceland.

Schedule available every week on www.nocmalta.org and on The Malta Independent newspaper every Tuesday.

Produced in collaboration with E22.