Even before the opening ceremony of the XXX Summer Olympics, a “ticket scandal” flared up, causing a public outcry and causing strong discontent among some members of the IOC. Dealers who sold tickets at exorbitant prices were severely punished.
One of the first to suffer was Volodymyr Gerashchenko, General Secretary of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee. Back in May, i.e. several months before the Games, he tried to illegally sell about a hundred tickets, which he received thanks to his official position. Upon learning of this and conducting a small investigation in order to obtain evidence, the president of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee, Serhiy Bubka, punished the secretary general by removing him from office.
Unfortunately, this was not the end of the story. Subsequently, 27 more people were found from different countries directly related to the Olympic Committee, who agreed to become resellers and tried to sell tickets at high prices. The members of the IOC considered each case and assigned special punishment to such dealers. Each of them has lost the confidence of the Committee and special privileges. At the same time, the British authorities said that the English National Olympic Committee was not involved in the appearance of tickets on the London black market.
The dealers were not only official agents and members of the National Olympic Committees, but also ordinary Londoners and tourists. Even 6 months before the opening of the Olympics, the British authorities managed to detain about 100 people who were involved in the resale of tickets, as well as the sale of fakes. Realizing that the situation will only get worse in the future, the British Parliament has established a fine for the redemption of tickets - 20 thousand pounds. Such a punishment was considered severe enough for London resellers.
However, considering the price at which London resellers sold tickets, the penalty seems insignificant. In particular, criminals were arrested who offered tickets to sports events for 6 thousand pounds, while the most expensive of them actually cost only 725 pounds. One way or another, speculation in this case was criminalized, so some London resellers will face more than just a fine.
