Olympics 101
The Olympics are coming to Hong Kong sooner than you think. Winnie Yeung has everything you need to know.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you should know the Olympics are going to take place next year in Beijing (... and Tianjin, Qingdao, and here in Hong Kong, to be exact). There is news about it virtually everyday, but what about the basics? When and where can you get tickets? How can you volunteer? Well, read on...
Mark your calendar
The Games will start on August 8, 2008 and will close on the August 24 in Beijing. Only equestrian events will happen in Hong Kong – from August 9-20.
Where the hell are the tickets?
Yes – that’s the same question everyone is asking. Although the first phase of ticketing sales has started – and will end on the 30th this month – you are not eligible to purchase any tickets from the online portal in China unless you are a Chinese national. No, that does not include Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan citizens – even though you may believe you are a part of your motherland.
Instead, you should book them from China Travel Services starting now until July 31. Go to any of its outlets or logon to their website (ww1.ctshk.com). Each person can only book four tickets per game in Beijing and ten tickets for the equestrian events. But that doesn't mean you get them; the company will draw lots on September 15 to determine who does. We in Hong Kong have to pay more for tickets; the most expensive ticket in China – for the opening ceremony – is RMB 5,000, but here you have to pay $5,395. Meanwhile, the ticket prices for the equestrian events range from $65 to $491.
China Travel Services, G/F, China Travel Bldg, 77 Queen’s Rd. Central, 2998-7080, ww1.ctshk.com/beijingolympic08/english
Volunteering
Anyone who is not a Chinese national (we’ve already gone through this above) but living in Hong Kong can apply to be a volunteer via the Home Affairs Bureau’s website (www.hab.gov.hk/en/whats_new/bj08_recruit_homepage.htm). 3,255 Hong Kong people have applied. The deadline is March 2008.
12,000 people have already signed up to be a volunteer for the equestrian events. The third – and last - round of recruitment will end in December this year. This round of recruitment aims to take volunteers who can serve between May to September 2008. Go to the recruitment website (www.equestrian2008.org) to apply online. One tip, though – if you are a bit of a linguist and know a lot of foreign languages, your chances will be much higher.