CWG tickets go on sale

Tickets for the 19th Commonwealth Games in Delhi from October 3 to 14 went on sale here on Friday — at prices ranging from Rs. 50 to Rs. 50,000.
While rates for the sporting event are between Rs. 50 to Rs. 1,000, the cheapest ticket for the opening ceremony has been pegged at Rs. 1,000 — going up to an eye-p

opping Rs. 50,000. Entry to the closing ceremony will set you back between Rs. 750 and Rs. 50,000, CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi announced here.
“Don’t be a city of passes,” Kalmadi pleaded on Friday, adding, “We need all the support we can get from the public to make the games a success.
“The ticket also entitles a free ride on the DTC and Delhi Metro on the day of the event. They are very reasonably priced with government not imposing any entertainment tax,” he added.
One of the major concerns for the OC has been the money generated from the sponsors. After taking a loan of about Rs. 1,600 crores for the event, only Rs. 243 crores has been raised from sponsorships so far. The organisers want to generate as much ticketing revenue as possible.
Almost 40 per cent of the tickets will be below Rs. 200 while 38 per cent of the tickets are priced between Rs. 250 and Rs. 500. Four events — the marathon, the walks, cycling road race and cycling time trial — will be free of charge for the spectators.
Lt. governor Tejendra Khanna launched the official ticketing website — www.tickets.cwgdelhi2010.org [1] — and was the first to get a Rs.1,000 ticket for the event. Delhi mayor P.R. Sawhney was given a Rs. 250 ticket for the Games.
The first stage of ticket sales began immediately through Central Bank of India and Hero Honda outlets, CWG ticketing call-centre 1800-200-1294 as well as through the official website. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has been appointed as the official ticketing agency for the Games.
The cheapest tickets worth Rs. 50 are for the Lawn Bowls event to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium while tickets for tennis and badminton (semis and final) along with boxing and wrestling medal rounds were priced as high as Rs. 1000 each.
“Spectators can choose the option of getting their tickets delivered through courier or opt to pick them up if booking online or through the call centre,” an official said, adding that over 50 outlets have been planned for Delhi and the NCR in a phased manner.
“The seating plan for the ticket holders are available on the official website. It provides a clearer idea to the fans,” the official added.