Dearest Games seat $8

Press, 13 August 1976, Page 4

Dearest Games seat $8

Seat prices at the New Zealand Games from January 21 to 26 next year will be about the same as those charged for the first Games last year, the organising committee was told last evening. There will be no $lO seats at track and field or swimming and diving, as there

■ were last year. The most ex- ■ pensive seats will be sB—for : part of the covered stand at i the track and field and for ; the better seats at the even- ; ing finals sessions of swimming and diving. In the main stand at the , track and field, prices will be ■ $8 and $5, while in the open ■ stands they will be $6, $5,

and $3. The average price of seats is approximately the same as for the first games, although there are 7000 less seats available.

There are three seat prices fu. the swimming and diving. For the evening finals they are $B. $6, and $5, and for the morning heats the prices will be halved.

The prices for weightlifting and basketball are similar, while the new sport, gymnastics, has only a $1 difference in the price range. Revenue of $378,000 from tickets had been budgeted for, said the chairman of the tickets committee (Mr J. E. Davies).

The Minister qf Recreation and Sport (Mr Highet) attended the meeting and was the recipient of many wisecracks aimed at the Government.

He spoke briefly at the end of the meeting, saying the Government “was right behind the organising committee and felt it important that New Zealand show the flag by holding the Games.

“We were worried that the Russians might not come, but comments tonight were encouraging and it seems they will now attend.” Mr Highet said that if things looked bad for the organising committee the Government might increase the amount it had underwritten the Games from $50,000. “We might consider $55,000,” he said. After being presented with a plaque which will be awarded to winners at the Games, he added: “We might make that I $60,000.”

Concluding, Mr Highet said that in spite of the situation of world sport at present, the Government wanted the Games to go ahead and did not want to see any pessimism.