London Olympic organisers defend ticket deals

Olympic organisers were accused today of "betraying" Londoners over a corporate hospitality deal to provide tickets for the 2012 games. But they fought back over claims that it would diminish the chances of members of the public getting seats for the most prominent events. Dee Doocey, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Olympics spokesman and chair of a committee examining its legacy, claimed that deals with JetSet and a joint venture between the former England rugby international Mike Burton and a French catering company, Sodexo, were unacceptable. "This news is a complete betrayal of the promises made to Londoners over the 2012 games. Secretive ticket deals made exclusively with the rich and influential undermine the very spirit of the Olympic games," she said. "Londoners are paying £625m to stage these games. It is disgraceful that ordinary sports fans are relegated to the back of the queue for tickets to a once in a lifetime sporting extravaganza." But the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) has denied that it will put UK fans at a disadvantage, pointing out that the number of tickets reserved under the deals, believed to be about 130,000, represents less than 2% of the total of 7.7m. The Mike Burton-Sodexo deal is understood to include corporate boxes at stadiums staging the Olympic football tournaments, Wimbledon and the O2, the venue for the gymnastics and basketball finals. JetSet will have access to about 60,000 tickets that will be bundled with flights and accommodation for overseas visitors. Neither deal had been made public, but Olympic organisers insisted it was standard practice to disclose the identity of partners only if they were official sponsors. Thomas Cook, which was last year named as the London Olympics domestic travel partner, will receive about 250,000 tickets that will be bundled with transport and accommodation for UK visitors. JetSet's founder and owner, the Yugoslav-born multimillionaire Sead Dizdarevic, dominates the international Olympic hospitality business. He has been the official hospitality provider at every games, summer and winter, since Salt Lake City and he is also the exclusive ticket agent and Olympic travel package provider for several national Olympic committees, including the US, Canada and Australia. London Olympic organisers, who have sought to project an image of inclusivity, insisted today that the deals would cover all 26 events, including potentially less popular ones such as taekwondo and handball. "We are hosting the two biggest sports events on the planet [the Olympics and Paralympics] so providing tickets to international audiences to come to London and the UK is a standard part of hosting an international event," said a spokeswoman. "Less than 1% of the tickets will be sold internationally through JetSet. These tickets cover all sports and will cover a range of prices. These international visitors are an important part of inbound tourism to London and the UK that major events such as the Olympic and Paralympic games can provide." Olympic tickets will not go on general sale until next year. Locog officials are working on a sales strategy that they hope will strike a balance between generating the £700m they need to stage the games and ensuring that venues are full of committed fans. The Beijing Olympics were criticised for banks of empty seats in some venues and the reservation of more than 650,000 tickets for sponsors. London organisers have promised a "fans-in-front" policy and a wide range of affordable tickets. But they have refused to reconfirm promises made at the time of the London bid that 4.3m tickets costing less than £20 would be available, due to shifts in exchange rates and changes to the Olympic programme.