Olympic tickets
Here you will find details of all the Olympic event sessions and associated ticket prices. Once you have made your ticket selection, simply enter our booking system. The official event schedule is subject to change by the Beijing Organising Committee – you may wish to check the most up-to-date version.
If you are booking a Sportsworld tour package, you won’t need to worry about queuing to collect your tickets; we will arrange to have them delivered directly to your hotel.
Tickets for the 2008 Olympic Games are issued by the Beijing Organising Committee (BOCOG). Each nation requests an allocation of tickets directly from BOCOG which may then be sold to the general public. Sportsworld is the only UK company able to place a request with BOCOG.
Within each event session there are up to 3 seating categories: A, B and C. The official face value price for each ticket session is shown, along with the handling charge. This is set by BOCOG at 20% on all tickets priced up to £136, and is capped at £30 for all other tickets. Part of this charge goes directly to the British Olympic Association to support the development of future British athletes.
When you have made your selection, simply enter our booking system.
At this stage, you will be making a ‘booking request’. We will do our utmost to fulfil this; however, due to the high demand for tickets, we may not be able to meet all your requests. In this instance we will offer you either tickets in an alternative seating category within the same session or the opportunity to make a different request.
All tickets must be paid for in full at the time of booking. We will of course refund money for tickets we have been unable to obtain unless you would prefer to request alternative tickets.
Our booking system allows you to quickly search through the hundreds of event ticket options (with or without accommodation, flights and other services), enter your preferences and pay by credit card. This will save you time and means your booking request is logged immediately for our team to process.
N.B. If you have priority registered with Sportsworld, your registration fee will be deducted from your first booking deposit.
National teams competing in team sports are still subject to qualification for Beijing 2008. Qualifying rounds and subsequent sports’ draws happen at various stages in the run-up to the Games.
As a result, if you are looking to watch a specific team play, you cannot request event tickets for preliminary matches until the draws are made. If you want to watch the knockout stages of these tournaments (quarter-finals, semi-finals, final and bronze medal matches), we would suggest that you request these tickets as early as possible to have the best chance of obtaining them.
- Once we have received your booking request and full ticket payment we will send an acknowledgment
- Your ticket requests are processed and allocated against Sportsworld’s official inventory
- Ticket confirmation is sent to you detailing the status of all your requests. One of the following tags will be given to each session for which you have requested tickets:
| Status |
What this means |
| Confirmed |
We have been able to fulfil your request exactly |
| Application |
We do not have the tickets available at Sportsworld but will request them from BOCOG |
| Upgrade |
We cannot confirm your tickets in the category requested but can offer you an upgrade, subject to payment of the difference |
| Downgrade |
We cannot confirm your tickets in the category requested so have confirmed tickets in a lower category. We will refund the price difference |
| Waitlisted |
BOCOG does not appear to have any tickets but it may be possible to release more in the future. We will attempt to obtain these on your behalf and place you on our Waitlist. |
| Sold out |
No more tickets are available for this session |
Due to the lack of available tickets and limited time remaining for clients to make travel, flight and visa arrangements we will be commencing ticket allocation procedures on an ad-hoc basis, rather than at the end of each month. All clients who have made a ticket request between 25th April and 9th May (inclusive) will be included in our next ticket allocation procedure during the week beginning Monday 12th May and will receive a link to their updated Ticket Status Report by the end of that week
- Don't plan to watch an event on the day of arrival or departure. Remember, you only collect your tickets when you get to China, so you will need to allow plenty of time on your arrival day. This may make it difficult to get to an event
- Do leave plenty of time for travelling to and from the venues. Allow for queues entering and exiting the venues
- Don't try to attend more than two event sessions per day. You may feel tired and this could reduce your enjoyment of the Games
- Don't select any ‘second choice’ events when requesting your tickets. Remember that you are committed to any requested events that we confirm for you. If we can't confirm tickets to your first choice events, you will have the opportunity to request alternatives at a later date
Tickets will not be issued by BOCOG until Games time. If you are travelling with Sportsworld on one of our packages, you will receive your tickets on arrival at your hotel.
If you are buying event tickets only, you will be able to collect them directly from us at a designated Sportsworld Ticket Office in Beijing. Subject to demand, we may also have further collection points in other key Olympic destinations (e.g. Hong Kong, Qingdao).
N.B. Tickets must be collected by the person who requested them. Proof of identity will be required prior to issuing the tickets.
We are unable to give any indication of seat assignments or other stadium information until the tickets are distributed.
While we will note any preferences you may have, we are unable to guarantee requests for specific seating or standing locations within the venues. We cannot guarantee to seat groups together, although we will do everything we can to accommodate you.
At some venues, tickets are issued on a ‘general admission’ basis - i.e. a ticket is required for entry but there is no reserved seating.
There are no reductions on ticket prices for children. Everyone, regardless of age, must have a valid event ticket for every session they are attending.
All venues will have designated disabled seating, though the level of this will vary from venue to venue. In addition, most official transportation is due to be accessible to spectators with different types of special needs.
If you are a wheelchair user, are limited in your mobility or are visually impaired, please ensure that you detail your requirements during your booking.
Please note that seating for companions in the designated wheelchair seating area will usually be restricted to one person, so larger parties including a wheelchair user may not be seated together.
If you are travelling to see your partner, close relative or friend compete in the Games, please ensure you advise us of this during your booking. Where possible, we will give you priority for the sessions in which your relative or friend is competing.
Unfortunately, priority cannot be given for other events or sessions.
If you would like to support Team GB in Beijing, you can make a voluntary contribution of £30 on your booking. This donation will be gratefully received and will go directly towards helping the development of future British athletes. Please note that this donation cannot be claimed for ‘gift aid’ purposes due to UK tax law.