Empty Seats at China's Sellout Olympics

Corporate sponsors, bad weather, and visa problems take some of the blame for empty seats in Beijing, even though many were turned away for advance tickets

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By Chi-Chu Tschang

August 15, 2008 at 6:37 PM UTC

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Li Ligong had been trying to buy tickets for the Beijing Olympics since last August. In each round, he would camp out with friends three days before sales began hoping to buy seats for gymnastics, basketball, and swimming events, but he had no luck. "We couldn't get any tickets," says Li, 37, owner of a building decoration company and member of a Beijing soccer fan club.

All that changed on Aug. 11. Li got a call from the head of soccer fan club asking if he'd be interested in watching an Olympic doubleheader on Aug. 12 for free, including the game between Canada and Sweden. The next night, the club brought more than 100 fans dressed in identical yellow shirts to fill the empty seats at the Worker's Stadium and cheer. "Before the Olympics began, our fan club held a meeting, and the head of the club said: 'If there are not enough people, the fan club will be asked to fill the stands regardless if you like to watch it or not,'" says Li.