By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Tickets to some of the most popular Rio 2016 Olympic events have been in high demand, selling out quickly and leaving some fans disappointed in early ticket sale lotteries. Yet tomorrow, Thursday July 21st, on what organizers call ‘Super Thursday’ another 100,000 tickets will go on sale at 12PM noon including entrance for some events that were previously sold out.
As of last week, 6.1 million tickets have been made available for purchase to the Rio 2016 Games, of which 4.4 million – 72 percent – have been sold. Ticket sales have raised R$978 million (US$300 million), which represents 93 percent of the organizing committee’s target.
Tickets for football (soccer), basketball and volleyball are among the top sellers for the 2016 Olympic Games, and additional tickets to these events will be available, including the medal competitions. Sports that have been sold out for a long time, like tennis and swimming, and even the opening and closing ceremonies, will also have new entries for sale.
Alex Barwinski, an American expatriate in Rio de Janeiro and managing partner at the Blue Agave Mexican bar and restaurant in Ipanema, was glad to see the new tickets become available after being asked countless times if he knew where and how to get them.
“People are still looking for tickets, to support their country, watch some good competitive games, or just be part of a great global event,” he explained. Adding that for those that end up without the tickets they wanted, “The Blue Agave will be showing all Olympic coverage live, as well as hosting events.”
The purchase can be made by site rio2016.com/ingressos or the physical box office, there are five of them in Rio listed below. With new tickets to popular sessions expected to sell out quickly tomorrow, Rio 2016 ticketing director Donovan Ferreti advised on their web site: “The best tip is to be prepared by registering on the ticket portal in advance.”
Rio 2016 ticket offices Rio de Janeiro:
Shopping Leblon
Av. Afrânio de Melo Franco, 290 – Leblon
Mon-Sat: 10AM – 10PM
Sun and public holidays: 1PM – 9PM
Shopping Via Parque
Av. Ayrton Senna, 3000 – Barra da Tijuca
Mon-Sat: 10AM – 10PM
Sun and public holidays: 1PM – 9PM
Maracanã Stadium
Av. Prof. Manuel de Abreu 23, Maracanã
Mon-Sun: 10AM-6PM
SuperVia – Central
Praça Cristiano Ottoni, s/n – Centro, RJ – CEP 20.221-250
Mon-Sat: 7AM-2:30 PM
SuperVia – Maracanã
Av. Presidente Castelo Branco, Radial Oeste. S/N
Maracanã/ Rio de Janeiro
Mon-Sat: 7AM-2:30 PM