WOW.
It was the most unGlesca response to good news and it came from Atlanta via Australia and then London. Ty Speers, the deputy chief executive of Glasgow 2014, was born in Georgia, USA, worked at Melbourne 2006 as general manager of sales and commercial and was part of the success story of London 2012 as client services director. He was hardly likely to greet the news that 92% of all public tickets have now been sold with a groan set to funereal music. However, his enthusiastic response was a testimony to curious truths about the Commonwealth Games 2014.
The first casualty of the ticket success was the assumption that the wavering of such as Usain Bolt and Mo Farah over their participation would dilute interest in an event that is just more than 260 days away. The world's greatest sprinter and the world's greatest distance runner may not come to Glasgow but all the athletics sessions are sold out with 766,510 ticket requests made.
The only events that need the celebrity factor are the opening and closing ceremonies. They are, respectively, 75% and 84% sold out. The organisers are confident that these ceremonies will be filled to capacity once "hints" about the programme are announced. A gentle drip of information about who will take part should be enough to ensure sell-outs at Celtic Park and Hampden.
There are now, too, only 76,000 chances to secure a ticket to the Games. Only six sports - badminton, boxing, lawn bowls, rugby sevens, squash and weightlifting - have space available. These tickets go on sale today. The curious truth about these sports is that many of them are highly popular, but with large venues and multiple sessions there is a mass of tickets to be sold. However, weightlifting is the event with the most capacity left and two-thirds of tickets for the eight days of competition have been sold.
The relaxed smile on the face of David Grevemberg, chief executive of Glasgow 2014, was an outward sign of what he believes is a "fantastic position". It is hard to argue with that assessment with a strong local interest in the Games with 57% of tickets sold in Scotland.
He still, however, has work to do before the opening ceremony on July 23. He can do little about the participation of such as Bolt and Farah. Grevemberg made all the right noises yesterday about working closely with athletic associations in other countries to ensure the best fields line up in all events but the bottom line is that such as Farah and Bolt will come to Glasgow only if it suits their programmes.
Hopes are far from forlorn about the Jamaican reaching the starting line. The sprinter has said he would probably only contest the 200 metres but he is a serial accumulator of medals and has spoken, most conspicuously at the London Olympics, of winning a Commonwealth gold to complete a set of major triumphs.
However, the unfolding story of the Games owes little so far to individual competitors but to the sense of occasion that a major sports event brings. One of the main lessons of London 2012 is that the public will "buy in" to a specific event simply to be part of the larger experience. The queues at the archery sessions at Lord's testify to that truth. It is simply astonishing that one cannot buy a ticket for 11 of the 17 sports for an event eight months away.
Grevemberg, though, will seek to avoid the one major blot on London's running of a brilliant event. Many sponsors' seats remain unfilled in the Olympic Park, particularly at the swimming, and this provoked both anger and frustration among the public. A notable statistic revealed yesterday showed that such was the interest in aquatic events that Tollcross Swimming Centre could have been filled 10 times over.
Grevemberg and his staff must ensure there are no gaps in the posh seats shown on telly otherwise there will be a deluge of protest. His staff is already addressing this area and Speer pointed out that, as the Games become closer, seating arrangements can be finalised in detail. There is a will to free up every available seat for the public and this leads to the possibility that there may just be a scheme to give free tickets to children.
The focus is properly on selling the 76,000 tickets still available but Grevemberg conceded that there may be a late move to fill any spaces without charge. "It is not off the books. It is something we will be looking at," he said.
The certainty is that Glasgow 2014 will be held in the heady atmosphere of capacity crowds. It is a party that appeals to both young and old with 22% of the tickets sold to under 16s or over 60s. The Games will feature 17 sports over 11 days with 261 medal events. They will be watched live by one million spectators.
It all kicks off with an opening ceremony and Grevemberg was coy about its content. "I can't tell you," he replied to gentle pleas for hints about themes and celebrities.
He conceded there would be historic and contemporary themes and there would be nods towards the city and to the country. "We will stay true to Glasgow," he said. "It has not failed us so far."
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