It is both an opportunity and a test for Beijing to implement a low-price ticket policy in the Olympic Games, says a signed article in Beijing News. An excerpt follows:

Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), promised low-price tickets of the Olympic Games in a recent interview. He said the price policy for the tickets should be in accordance with the real situation of China, so the prices should be suitable for most citizens. There will be nearly 9 million tickets for the 2008 Games.    

More than 6 million could be marketable. Except the opening and closing ceremonies and a few key competitions, most of the ticket prices will be low to meet the needs of people. Students are also expected to benefit from special low-price tickets.

The BOCOG has not internationalized the ticket prices because it has not made ticket income as the major channel of profiting. It shows more concern to the social effects of the low-price tickets and even sets up a participation programme to enable students watching the games. This certainly deserves applause.

The low-price ticket principle represents a people-oriented spirit and the people friendly Olympic concept brought up by Beijing. The needs of different social groups to participate in the Olympic Games were taken into consideration.

But obviously it is a great challenge to the BOCOG to lower the ticket prices. It will first test the BOCOG's commercial operation ability. The organizers all expect to achieve economic results while holding the Olympic Games and the past several Games did bring grand commercial returns. The success of Beijing Olympic Games should be represented in the commercial field.

The revenue from ticket selling is an important part of the incomes of the Olympic Games. The average ticket price was US$55 for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. The total ticket income was US$356 million, the highest in the Olympic history. In 2004, the average price of ticket was EUR35 in Athens. Such a price is quite a luxury for most Chinese. But a low-price principle will bring more pressure for the organizers. Thus the BOCOG will have to make up the reduction of ticket revenue through other ways, which sets higher requirements on their business abilities.

Besides, a better mechanism is needed to implement the low-price ticket policy. The supply of tickets may not meet the huge demand especially when their prices are low. Then there will very much likely be some people making exorbitant profits at this. How to guarantee the tickets going to common people who really want to participate in the Olympic Games is a test to the organizers.

The Olympic concepts should not only be realized through the low-price tickets but also be guaranteed by more innovations in policies, technologies and management.