Olympic Festival Tickets Sell Briskly

The U.S. Olympic Committee said that ticket sales for the Olympic Festival--renamed this year from the National Sports Festival--to be held in Houston this summer are running at a record pace.

The Festival, set for July 25-Aug. 3, features the nation’s best amateur athletes in 34 sports.

The Houston Organizing Committee estmates that $310,000 worth of tickets have been ordered. The festival record of $1.3 million was set in Indianapolis in 1982.

“The early response has been phenomenal,” said Jack Kelly, executive director of the 1986 Festival. “We haven’t started our real push to promote mail orders until now, and we expect a lot of activity in the next three weeks.

“Tickets are selling fast for figure skating, gymnastics and equestrian events and the others are right behind.”