Industry News

Rio Paralympics sales to eclipse Beijing

Rio 2016 organisers said around 1.6 million tickets have now been sold for the Paralympics, which starts later today (Wednesday).

Concerns were raised just over a fortnight ago when it emerged that only around 10% of the 2.5 million tickets for the event had been sold.

That figure has grown considerably in recent weeks, with organisers claiming a sales surge coincided with the closing stages of the Olympic Games, when the host country won a number of gold medals.

A cut in ticket prices has also had an effect, with seats now available for as little as $3 (£2.30 / €2.70).

Craig Spence, a spokesman for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), said that, overall, organisers are now selling around 40,000 tickets per day and expect to overtake Beijing’s sale of 1.7 million tickets total, making Rio the second best-attended Paralympics behind London 2012.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Prince Harry has made a donation to a campaign that aims to help Brazilian children watch the Paralympics.

The British Royal donated to the #FillTheSeats initiative, which has been working with Games organisers to buy 10,000 tickets for local children.

Before Prince Harry’s contribution, the campaign had raised around $54,000 towards a target of $300,000.

Rock band Coldplay and US Paralympian Tatyana McFadden have also donated to the cause.

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