英语学习美文精选Beijing Olympic Tickets on Sale on Sunday.docVIP

Beijing Olympic Tickets on Sale on Sunday The policies governing the sale of more than 7 million tickets for the 2008 Olympic Games will be revealed at a press conference in Beijing on Sunday. An official from the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG) said 75 percent of the tickets will be sold in China. People will be able to book seats during the preliminary round of ticket sales, which starts on April 15. The tickets will be sold in three rounds. All 26,000 tickets for the opening and closing ceremony and 50 percent of the tickets for the competitive events in China will be available for purchase during the first round, from April to September this year. The tickets will be allocated according to a random draw. Any tickets left-over after the first round of sales and all remaining tickets for competitive events will go on sale during the second round, from October to December this year. The tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis. The third round will last from April 2008 until the end of the Games. Tickets sold during this time will have definite seat numbers and event times. Chinese citizens can book tickets via the official ticketing website at , BOCOGs hotline, or designated BOCOG ticketing offices at Bank of China branches. Tickets will also be sold at the Olympic venues during the Games. People outside China will be able to purchase tickets through designated ticketing offices in their countries. BOCOG has published a full list of ticket prices on its official ticketing website. The tickets for the opening ceremony on August 8 are the most expensive, at 5,000 yuan or 646 US dollars. The cheapest tickets available for the opening ceremony cost 200 yuan or 25.8 US dollars. Last year, BOCOG promised 58 percent of the tickets would cost 100 yuan, or 12.75 US dollars, in a bid to make them affordable to average Chinese citizens.