MILAN, Italy -- More than 500,000 tickets for the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics go on sale Thursday.
Of a total of 1 million tickets, 65 percent will be available to the public. The other 35 percent are reserved for national Olympic Committees, sponsors, international sports federations and broadcasters.
More than half the tickets to the Feb. 10-26, 2006 games are between $25.50 and $64, Valentino Castellani, head of the organizing committee, said Wednesday.
The cheapest tickets ($25.50) are for biathlon, cross country, curling, freestyle and preliminary women's hockey. Prices for figure skating range from $89 to $382. Opening ceremony tickets start at $318 and reach $1,082.
Ticket sales are expected to raise more than $95.5 million, the third-largest source of income after TV rights and sponsorships.
In Europe, there will be two phases of sales. The first will begin Thursday and end Dec. 15, allowing officials to gauge the demand for each sport. The second phase, beginning Feb. 10, could include a lottery for certain sports, depending on demand. Outside Europe, national Olympic committees will control ticket sales.
Ticketing director Giorgio Lauretta said prime events could sell out in the first phase. He added that early projections found high interest for ski jumping, short track speedskating, freestyle skiing and curling.
