Refund on tickets

Press, 14 June 1984, Page 25

Refund on tickets

NZPA-Reuter Los Angeles

The 14 countries led by the Soviet Union that are boycotting the Los Angeles Olympic Games will get their money back for the tickets they paid for, but minus a handling charge, games officials have said.

More than SUSIOO.OOO (about 5NZ154.000) paid by the boycotting countries for more than 10.000 tickets will be refunded. The bulk of it — SUSB6.OOO — will go to the Soviet Union, said Harry Usher, the general manager of the Los Angeles Olympic Organising Committee. "We will keep the handling charge of at least one dollar per ticket." he added.

Proceeds from ticket sales are projected to total SUS9O million (JNZI3B million), so the refunds will not make much of a dent in

the games revenue, said an L A. 0.0 C. official. Edward Smith

The extra tickets made available by the boycott will be sold within the United States and not to foreign countries, he added

Mr Usher said no other nation had asked for the extra tickets, though some countries are known to have been unhappy both with the number and quality of the tickets that they were allowed. Asked why the L A.00.C had decided to send money back to boycotting countries. Mr Usher, said, with a hint of sarcasm, that since those nations had complained about security of their athletes at the games, they would hardly want their citizens to risk the alleged dangers in Los Angeles.