Anger ... empty seats at the swimming this morning
Published: Today at 18:55
OLYMPICS organisers have launched a probe into why rows of prime seats were left EMPTY throughout yesterday’s opening swimming sessions.
Hundreds of privileged ticket-holders failed to turn up to watch the world's top swimmers despite the heats being completely "sold out" to the public.
The investigation will centre on London 2012 corporate ticket-holders, sponsors and members of the Olympics organising 'family' who failed to occupy their allotted poolside spots.
Large pockets of unused seats were also obvious at the beach volleyball on Horse Guards Parade, the dressage at Greenwich Park, gymnastics at the O2 and the tennis at Wimbledon.
Organisers LOCOG will now identify who had rights to the individual seats and find out why they hadn’t showed up.
Swathes of empty seats were clearly visible in all sections of the Aquatics Centre which featured Britain’s medal hopeful Hannah Miley in the women’s 400m individual medley, while 'ordinary' paying spectators were perched high up well away from the swimmers.
Fans fumed as they left the arena. Business consultant Jay Olivia, 41, from Chelsea, said: “The swimming was fantastic and the sound was so loud in there but everywhere you looked there were rows of empty seats.
“There needs to be a better service on offer to avoid it looking like no-one has turned up.
“People would queue for hours just on the off chance of getting a ticket if people don’t turn up but there isn’t that facility.”
Deserted ... swathes of empty seats at the aquatics centre
Anoma Radkevitch, 42, from Wokingham, Berkshire, said: “I heard that the tickets were being given away to the armed forces and their families but they weren’t there.
“If there are empty seats, they have to be filled. People would give their right arm to be here and the system is letting them down.
“I would say there was between one and two thousand seats lying empty.
“If people don’t turn up after 30 minutes the ticket should be resold at a reduced rate. It’s about bringing as many people to the Olympics as possible.”
Shelley Goldring, 43, from Sevenoaks, Kent, said: “I know people who have applied in the ballots and tried to buy them online without any luck.
“They must be furious watching the TV. Friends of mine who are members of swimming clubs haven’t been able to find tickets, it’s those sort of people I feel for.”
A LOCOG spokesperson said: “We are aware that some venues have empty seats this morning.
“We believe the empty seats are in accredited seating areas, and we are in the process of finding out who should have been in the seats and why they weren’t there.”
