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Our child became an avid diver after watching the 2008 Olympics. It would be great to take her to the 2012 Olympics. But we don't know if this desire is realistic.
Can anyone here give us an idea of the costs in the past (esp. lodging and tickets)? Also, it would be nice to hear your experiences.
I went to the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. I had a friend who was invited to participate in the next winter Olympics in Milan. We lived in Beijing just previous to the opening of the summer Olympics there.
IMHO advance ticket sales are a pretty big ripoff. Beijing did not manage to sell out any event in advance and by the time the games started tickets were cheap. Ditto Salt Lake City, and ditto Milan.
The bigger problem than game tickets are accommodations. Especially in London which is wildly beyond expensive on a normal day, and no doubt room prices will be jacked into the stratosphere for the games--plus the dollar exchange rate to the pound sterling is abysmal.
Our child became an avid diver after watching the 2008 Olympics. It would be great to take her to the 2012 Olympics. But we don't know if this desire is realistic.
Can anyone here give us an idea of the costs in the past (esp. lodging and tickets)? Also, it would be nice to hear your experiences.
If you have to attend the "major events" like gymnastics, the basketball finals, opening and closing ceremonies, and the like, the tickets are hard to get and may be very expensive. If you are looking for tickets to some of the less popular events like the 1st round of basketball, field hockey, and team handball, they are readily available and not really expensive.
We attended the sailing events in the 1976 Montreal Olympiad. The sailing took place in Kingston, ON, a long distance from Montreal. The tickets and the accommodations were cheap as you were not competing with mobs.
In the past, my wife and I have traveled to other cities to see the Olympic trials for sports we like. My favorite Olympic game is team handball, a game that is a cross between basketball and soccer.
Personally, I have been to a lot of the "big events" - NCAAs, World Series, etc. - and they are generally not as big as the hype.
I went to several at the Atlanta Olympics, I did buy some tickets prior to the events but, I attened Equestrian so they weren't as high as demand as Diving. Plus I just drove home afterwards.
Sometimes you can find package deals for families but be very careful that they are ligit.
I was in Atlanta during the 96 Olymics and attended several events. For a resindent it was easy, for a visitor it wasn't much more complicated - plenty of places to stay. You had to get tickets for each sport event you wanted to attend, and as I remember you had an online site where they were availabel first come-first serve. The best events were gone quick. That's one thing to remember - you just can't "go" to the Olympics. You have to go to individual sports events, a ticket for each. And also note the the Olympics for the most part were spread out all over town (although many were in one area). It wasn't one Olympics village, not in Atlanta anyways.
In Brazil it will likely be much more complex. I was in Brazil a few weeks ago. For one thing you need a visa (don't even ask how complex it was for me to get a business visa), you will also have language difficulties (this ain't Europe where everyone speaks english), and Rio is one huge city, with some crime problems and logistical problems.
(Edit - opps Brazil is 2016. London in 2012. London will be fine I think, plenty of places to stay and the british are well organzed. Only issue to remember is that London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Expect prices to be crazy in 2012).
I think we have decided to watch the Olympics on TV and go to London in an off-season. :-)
But here's something worth knowing if you are considering the London Olympics. According to london2012.com, at least half of the tickets will be 30 pounds (about 45 dollars, I think) AND will include transportation. Time to make pen pals in the London area!
In the past, my wife and I have traveled to other cities to see the Olympic trials for sports we like. My favorite Olympic game is team handball, a game that is a cross between basketball and soccer.
I've done that for winter Olympic trials in Lake Placid, NY. We saw ski jumping, arials, and I think bobsledding (but that could have just been practice, I don't remember). It was pretty cool seeing them, knowing that they were headed off to the Olympics. They also had a parade and little medal ceremony for the winners. Even when it's not an Olympic year, it's pretty common to find athletes training or competing there.
You could go somewhere that previously hosted the Olympics and watch the Olympics from there. We've done that in Lake Placid too, and it was neat since everyone got into it.
Its exciting to be a part of the Olympics. I live in Southern California and went to some events for the Los Angeles Olympics. However it wasn't nearly as expensive as a visitor as I was a local and drove home after an event instead of have to pay for hotels, food, transportation, etc....
Its a special thing to attend though and something I won't forget. The suburb I live in outside of L.A. was where the cycling events were held. Its still cool to walk past the start line memorial on Olympiad Rd.
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