Sports

BC Government To Give 3,400 Olympics Tickets To VIPs

by amyellensoden | February 5, 2010 at 04:42 pm

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The BC Provincial Government has spent $1 million on purchasing over 3,400 VIP Olympics tickets. The purchase took place today, with VANOC provided an additional 910 tickets. Around 3,200 of the VIP Olympics tickets will be given to investors and business leaders. The VIP tickets will also go to international leaders who are in town for the Vancouver games. The 200 remaining Olympics tickets will go to ministers according to Minister of State for the Olympics - Mary McNeil.

The provincial government spent almost $1 million to buy more than 3,200 tickets and was given 910 more by the Vancouver Olympics organizing committee. But Minister of State for the Olympics Mary McNeil said only 200 tickets would be used by MLAs and ministers, while more than 500 would be given away in contests and the rest will be used to host VIPs.

Olympic events such as ice hockey and figure skating seem to be the top picks for VIPs. 56 seats have already been reserved for VIP MLA ticket holders for ice hockey events. Another 20 seats have been VIP allocated for fugure skating. The Olympics Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony will only allow for 2 VIP tickets for MLAs, however.

While many Olympics tickets are being reserved for VIPs, many are also being given away in contests across the Lower Mainland. Tourism BC in particular has been drawing a great deal of interest in the 2010 Vancouver games by holding Twitter contests to win Olympics tickets. Tourism BC has given away Olympics tickets to events such as the gold medal round of speedskating and figure skating.