FIBA Basketball
FIBA - Fans buy up tickets
TOKYO (FIBA World Championship) - If the FIFA World Cup offers the hottest ticket in town, basketball fans in Japan and around the world have discovered the FIBA World Championship is not much different. The evidence?Most of the tickets made available on the internet on March 23 were snapped up so quickly that
TOKYO (FIBA World Championship) - If the FIFA World Cup offers the hottest ticket in town, basketball fans in Japan and around the world have discovered the FIBA World Championship is not much different.
The evidence?
Most of the tickets made available on the internet on March 23 were snapped up so quickly that they were gone almost immediately.
This will come as no surprise with the world's best players like Argentina's Emanuel Ginobili, Team USA's Kobe Bryant, Germany's Dirk Nowitzki, China's Yao Ming, France's Tony Parker and Spain's Pau Gasol among the dozens of superstars headed for the tournament.
The Local Organising Committee in Tokyo announced yesterday the Group Games in Sapporo city, Hokkaido (Group D, participating teams: Senegal, USA, China, Italy, Puerto Rico and Slovenia) were sold out in the first 10 minutes after the online sales (http://www.fiba2006.com/ticket/ticket_e.html) were launched.
Also, tickets for some Group Games in other cities, and certain types of tickets for game days in the Final Round, have already sold out.
Japanese fans will have a second chance from Saturday, May 20 until Friday, June 30 for all ticket types at all venues for all game days.
The sellouts refer to ticket sales within Japan, but sales outside of Japan are also going very well.
Tickets are available for sale to fans outside of Japan from March 23 - April 30 on.
Information about the second wave of international sales will be announced at a later stage.
Why are tickets moving so quickly?
Fans know they will see the best players in the world, and they will see more than just one game.
For the first round, a ticket is valid for the complete session of all three games per day.
The prices range from 4.000 to 9.000 Yen per ticket.
For the final round in Saitama a ticket is valid for two games and the prices range is from 5.000 to 20.000 Yen per ticket.
For reference: the exchange rate is about 119Yen/US$.
The evidence?
Most of the tickets made available on the internet on March 23 were snapped up so quickly that they were gone almost immediately.
This will come as no surprise with the world's best players like Argentina's Emanuel Ginobili, Team USA's Kobe Bryant, Germany's Dirk Nowitzki, China's Yao Ming, France's Tony Parker and Spain's Pau Gasol among the dozens of superstars headed for the tournament.
The Local Organising Committee in Tokyo announced yesterday the Group Games in Sapporo city, Hokkaido (Group D, participating teams: Senegal, USA, China, Italy, Puerto Rico and Slovenia) were sold out in the first 10 minutes after the online sales (http://www.fiba2006.com/ticket/ticket_e.html) were launched.
Also, tickets for some Group Games in other cities, and certain types of tickets for game days in the Final Round, have already sold out.
Japanese fans will have a second chance from Saturday, May 20 until Friday, June 30 for all ticket types at all venues for all game days.
The sellouts refer to ticket sales within Japan, but sales outside of Japan are also going very well.
Tickets are available for sale to fans outside of Japan from March 23 - April 30 on.
Information about the second wave of international sales will be announced at a later stage.
Why are tickets moving so quickly?
Fans know they will see the best players in the world, and they will see more than just one game.
For the first round, a ticket is valid for the complete session of all three games per day.
The prices range from 4.000 to 9.000 Yen per ticket.
For the final round in Saitama a ticket is valid for two games and the prices range is from 5.000 to 20.000 Yen per ticket.
For reference: the exchange rate is about 119Yen/US$.