Tokyo 2020 Olympic ticket lottery closes after receiving 7.5 million applications

Tokyo 2020 has today closed its Olympic ticket lottery for Japanese residents, claiming it has successfully attracted millions of people eager to secure their Games experience.

The Organising Committee extended the deadline for Japan-based fans to apply for Olympic tickets by 12 hours because of the "high volume of traffic" on the website.

In a statement released today, it claimed the decision to give fans the deadline extension was to ensure every application is processed amid a high level of interest.

In total, Tokyo 2020 ID registrations, the first step required before purchasers could enter the ticket lottery, reached 7,508,868 and the official ticketing website was visited more than 24,250,000 times in the application period.

It has not been revealed how many tickets have been applied for through the online system, however.

Starting on May 9, residents of Japan were able to apply for tickets to the Olympics through a lottery. 

The applicants are due to be notified of the tickets they have been allocated on June 20.

Tokyo 2020 spokesperson Masa Takaya admitted the Organising Committee was thrilled with the outcome.

"We are delighted to have concluded this highly-important milestone successfully," he said.

"That there were such a high number of applications shows there is a great passion nationwide for the Tokyo 2020 Games and sport in general. 

"Millions of tickets are available at affordable prices and there will be other opportunities to get one."

Organisers of next year's Games had been inundated with requests for Olympic tickets when the lottery was launched.

The ticketing website struggled from the moment it opened to online applications.

Speaking last week during a visit to Tokyo, International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission chair John Coates said: "With just over a year to go, excitement in these Olympic Games is unparalleled."

Residents of Japan will still be able to request tickets during the first-come, first-served phase due to begin in autumn 2019.

The final ticket sales phase is scheduled to start in the spring of 2020, offering first-come, first-served sales for purchasers inside and outside of Japan. 

Details are set to be announced at a later date.

People living outside of Japan will first be able to purchase tickets through authorised ticket resellers (ATRs) in their home countries. 

ATRs can commence ticket sales from June 15.

The sales launch date in each territory will vary depending on each ATR’s sales plan and schedule. 

The list of ATRs can be found here.

Tokyo 2020’s original bid claimed that 7.8 million tickets would be up for grabs with 20 to 30 per cent dedicated to sales outside Japan.

Source: insidethegames.biz