‘96 Olympic Ticket Sale Starts on May 1

Tickets for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games go on sale May 1, the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games announced Thursday.

Beginning May 1, brochures containing mail-order forms will be available at Home Depot stores and in special Coca-Cola displays in grocery stores across the nation.

Eleven million tickets will be issued for the Games, scheduled here July 19-Aug. 4, 1996, compared to 6.9 million for the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

“Tickets are plentiful, affordable and easy to buy,” said Scott Anderson, managing director for Games Services for ACOG. “Customers can browse through the brochure and session schedule in the comfort of their own home. There are no lines to wait in and no impossible deadlines to meet. Just send us your selections in the first 60 days to have the best chance of getting the tickets you want most.”

The 48-page brochure contains information on each sport and on the Olympic Arts Festival; maps; a 17-page, 542-session Games schedule with session times, descriptions and prices; a work sheet to help in the selection of sessions; a two-page ticket request form and a return envelope.

Buyers will be limited to 16 tickets for “preferred” sessions--those events spectators most want to see--and are encouraged to list two alternate sessions for every preferred session.

There is a limit of four tickets an order for high-demand events, as described in the brochure, and a limit of two tickets an order for opening and closing ceremonies.

Payment is required at the time of ordering, by check or Visa card. Opening and closing ceremonies cost $200, $400, and $600. Prices to athletic events range from $6 to $250. All ticket prices in the brochure include sales tax. There is a $1 fee for each preferred ticket requested, and a $15 processing fee for the total order.