Organisers of this month’s 2017 Summer Universiade in Taiwan remain upbeat about attendances despite less than a third of tickets being sold.
The multi-sport event for students from all over the world is set to take place in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city, from August 19 to 30, and will include 265 competitions in 22 categories.
As of August 4, only two weeks away from the start, 206,409 out of the 702,109 tickets available for the games had been sold, according to data provided by the Taipei Universiade Organising Committee.
Taipei City Councillor Chen Ping-fu noted that sales for seven of the contests were below one per cent, while 60 others were between one and 10 per cent.
Organising committee spokesman Yang Ching-tang said that the event offers a wide range of choices for games and it therefore takes potential spectators more time to decide which events they want to attend.
Yang also added that he believes sales will see a boost after the competing teams’ schedules and rosters are unveiled.
Councillor Chen also highlighted during a hearing at the Taipei City Council that only eight tickets had been sold for a basketball game that is to be held at a 1,726-capacity arena, and only 15 tickets for a football match at a 4,078-seat stadium had been sold.
Tickets for the event are available through the official event website, ticketing websites and ticketing machines at convenience stores, according to the organising committee.
The tournament includes a wide range of sports, including diving, athletics, archery, badminton, volleyball, weightlifting, roller sports, gymnastics, golf, and many more.
Image: Chongkian
