Tokyo 2020 organisers were forced to extend the deadline for the Olympic ticket lottery on Tuesday as millions of fans raced to register their interest in the event.
TheTicketingBusiness understands that a queue of more than one million people formed at one point to access the ticket lottery site, which is powered by Tokyo-based Pia Corporation.
The level of interest was so high that organisers decided yesterday to give fans a 12-hour lottery deadline extension to the end of today (Wednesday) to ensure every application was processed.
In total, Tokyo 2020 ID registrations, the first step required before purchasers could enter the ticket lottery, reached 7.51 million. The official ticketing website was visited more than 24.25 million times in the 20 days since the application period opened on May 9.
A Tokyo 2020 spokesperson said organisers were thrilled with the outcome.
“We are delighted to have concluded this highly important milestone successfully,” said Masa Takaya.
“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.”
Applicants will be notified of the tickets they have been allocated on June 20.
Residents of Japan will still be able to request tickets during the first-come, first-served phase that begins in autumn 2019.
The final ticket sales phase will start in the spring of 2020, offering first-come, first-served sales for purchasers inside and outside of Japan.
Image: Marco Verch
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