Has anyone ever attended the Olympics?

[disneysteve]

Our daughter really wants to go to the 2028 Olympics in LA. Has anyone ever been to the games in a US location? Any tips on how and when to start planning? How are tickets sold? Is this a case where a travel agent can be helpful perhaps offering packages? Any advice would be appreciated. I know it’s 4 years away but I’m guessing hotels start booking up long before that.

 

[Luvtoride]

No, but I plan on attending in 2028, health willing! I would think accommodations would be one of the first things to arrange.

 

[wrigley]

No. And have no desire. Everything you need is on your TV right in front of you.

 

[DuluthGA]

We lived near Atlanta in 96. We had tickets for the day after the bombing to an event and decided not to go in all the turmoil. A few days later we bought tickets to a baseball game which included admission to the Olympic park and events. It was cool to spend time in that area. We went to the ball game for a couple of innings but mostly just wanted the experience.

The premium events were lottery and very hard to get. If you want a particular, premium event a package is probably the way to go.

 

[pb4uski]

I went to the men's downhill in Lake Placid in1980. The men's downhill isn't a great event to watch live. We tromped up the mountain and found a good spot to watch on a turn. Here he comes... there he goes. Pretty boring but it was fun being there. You see much more on TV.

I caught a bad cold and gave my ticket to the men's ski jumping event to a friend. It happened to be on the same day as the US vs USSR men's hockey game and my friends went to a couple bars in the village to watch the game on TV which was exciting... so I missed out on that.

 

[MichaelB]

Our daughter really wants to go to the 2028 Olympics in LA. Has anyone ever been to the games in a US location? Any tips on how and when to start planning? How are tickets sold? Is this a case where a travel agent can be helpful perhaps offering packages? Any advice would be appreciated. I know it’s 4 years away but I’m guessing hotels start booking up long before that.

I was fortunate to visit the Calgary winter games by myself and DW and I attended the Atlanta games. In both cases my employer was an Olympic sponsor. For Calgary I won a sales contest and for Atlanta we hosted clients,

The host city will determine how the tickets are packaged. Their approach in the past has been to sell bundles of tickets covering a fixed number of days, x number of events per day, and a limited guarantee of one specific event. For example, a 3 day bundle including opening ceremonies and 4 sporting events, or a 4 day package with 7 events including finals in either basketball or volleyball.

This is how they ensure less popular events are sold. I expect them to continue with this approach. Location, US or not, makes no difference.

They also sell individual tickets for high profile events, such as opening and closing ceremonies, and some competitions.

Just getting inside the Olympic Park is great fun. Seeing the mix of people, so many flags, national colors, all the languages, all the friendly interaction is a joyous event.

 

[Car-Guy]

No, I don't like crowds!

And while I'm at it, what the "heck" is Ping Pong, Break Dancing and Skateboarding doing in the Olympics anyway. Rhetorical.

 

[REWahoo]

I was fortunate to visit the Calgary winter games by myself and DW and I attended the Atlanta games. In both cases my employer was an Olympic sponsor. For Calgary I won a sales contest and for Atlanta we hosted clients,

The host city will determine how the tickets are packaged. Their approach in the past has been to sell bundles of tickets covering a fixed number of days, x number of events per day, and a limited guarantee of one specific event. For example, a 3 day bundle including opening ceremonies and 4 sporting events, or a 4 day package with 7 events including finals in either basketball or volleyball.

This is how they ensure less popular events are sold. I expect them to continue with this approach. Location, US or not, makes no difference.

They also sell individual tickets for high profile events, such as opening and closing ceremonies, and some competitions.

Just getting inside the Olympic Park is great fun. Seeing the mix of people, so many flags, national colors, all the languages, all the friendly interaction is a joyous event.

^ This.

DW and I were fortunate to attend the winter games in Nagano and had a five day package with a number (7?) of sporting events. Our "limited guaranteed" event was women's figure skating (DW's choice!) and we saw the short program.

The other events in the package might have been less popular but we thought they were great, including ski jumping (postponed mid-event due to heavy snowfall), speed skating (where we saw a new world record), and a preliminary hockey game between Russia and the Czech Republic, who ended up playing each other for the Gold Medal. It was very clear to us those two teams did not care for each other!

Not sure it is still a thing, but pin trading with others was great fun.

 

[MichaelB]

^ This.

DW and I were fortunate to attend the winter games in Nagano and had a five day package with a number (7?) of sporting events. Our "limited guaranteed" event was women's figure skating (DW's choice!) and we saw the short program.

The other events in the package might have been less popular but we thought they were great, including ski jumping (postponed mid-event due to heavy snowfall), speed skating (where we saw a new world record), and a preliminary hockey game between Russia and the Czech Republic, who ended up playing each other for the Gold Medal. It was very clear to us those two teams did not care for each other!

Not sure it is still a thing, but pin trading with others was great fun.

And this. One of our best memories was a first round match of women’s field hockey between Korea and Germany. There was a booster of sorts for the Korean team and I was amazed at how he turned a crowd of bored Americans into very loud and vocal supporters of Korea. The players acknowledged the support and went on to win a well fought match.

Pin trading is still a thing, but is has become overtaken by commercial interests and no longer feels part of the Olympic spirit IMHO.

 

[cathy63]

We tried to go to London. I don't recall them offering packages, or maybe I just didn't want to commit to one. They did have a ticket lottery where you could put in for any event and then they'd notify you a few months later as to which events you'd been allocated and you could decide to buy all or none. I put in for 14 events in the first week, things like morning swimming, first round soccer, gymnastics qualification, etc. I was hoping to get two or three tickets. The only ticket we were offered was a first-round fencing session. We decided not to make the trip.

At that time, I read that tickets were allocated among the continents and they wouldn't sell tickets that are reserved for Africa in the Americas. This meant that when I watched on TV, most of the events I wanted to go to were practically empty, so it was quite disappointing. This did not seem to be a problem in France, so perhaps they have solved the distribution issue since London.

 

[timbervest]

Went to the 84 Games in Los Angeles (saw Carl Lewis win the 100m and Greg Louganis dive). Tickets will be through a lottery system -- I think you can go online now and Google it now and get on a waiting list for notification but tickets are usually available two years ahead of time. They are pricey but the experience is worth it IMHO. Traffic and hotels are a whole other matter -- hotels in particular since the events will be spread out all over Southern California so where to stay?? and we don't exactly have a good public transit system here.

 

[Koolau]

Never been and really no interest. My lounge chair is the best seat in the house and I don't have to deal with crowds or housing or traffic. I guess I'm just not as into it as others here. If you get to go (or have been) my hat is off to you for your passion. I respect passion for virtually anything. YMMV

 

[5Miler]

Living in the Atlanta Metro area (Duluth) in 1996, we tried out MARTA for the first time to attend the Ray Charles concert at the games. The MARTA rail cars returning home were all jammed when they pulled into our station to head back north. We finally took a train south a few stations and then got off and caught an empty northbound train. It was packed wall to wall by the time we got to the Olympic stops. Heck of an evening but we finally made it home in time to catch a couple of hours sleep before heading off to w**k the next morning.

 

[MBAustin]

Have never been but also would love to go to some events in 2028. Also hope to go to some World Cup matches in 2026 so will be watching for tips on both big events.

 

[Sarah S]

We went to London. My family member got tickets by lottery as a UK resident. A memorable experience so I say go if you can!

 

[Midpack]

No, I don't like crowds!

And while I'm at it, what the "heck" is Ping Pong, Break Dancing and Skateboarding doing in the Olympics anyway. Rhetorical.

Because some people really enjoy/follow those 'activities.' The Olympics aren't just for senior 'get off my lawn' Americans like you...other countries, other generations. Rhetorical.

Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988, Skateboarding since 2020/21. Breaking was optional, not planned for LA 2028. Have you ever watched top level table tennis or skateboarding? The top players are pretty incredible.

 

[MichaelB]

Have never been but also would love to go to some events in 2028. Also hope to go to some World Cup matches in 2026 so will be watching for tips on both big events.

Both the Olympics and World Cup set aside a fixed number of tickets for the host country and the rest are sold internationally.
World Cup sells bundles that are country specific, such as all 3 games for one country team in the first round. For the elimination rounds you simply have to buy a date and stadium game without knowing who will play, and they use a lottery system when demand exceeds supply.

 

[Dtail]

No, I don't like crowds!

And while I'm at it, what the "heck" is Ping Pong, Break Dancing and Skateboarding doing in the Olympics anyway. Rhetorical.

Rhetorical yes but if they have break dancing, how about Pickleball?

 

[MichaelB]

The International Olympic Committee decides which sports will compete in the games, but the host country also gets to add one. This time around France chose to include breaking.

The IOC has, well, considerable European membership and representation. Table tennis is quite popular in Europe, so it was no surprise it became an Olympic sport, When we see pickleball being played in Europe we will know it’s on the way to the Olympics.

 

[Car-Guy]

The International Olympic Committee decides which sports will compete in the games, but the host country also gets to add one. This time around France chose to include breaking.

The IOC has, well, considerable European membership and representation. Table tennis is quite popular in Europe, so it was no surprise it became an Olympic sport, When we see pickleball being played in Europe we will know it’s on the way to the Olympics.

Not my idea of Olympic sports, but then there's a lot of things that are changing in this world that I don't like... Of course there is a lot of new things that have come along that I like too. I guess it would be pretty boring world if we all liked and/or dislike the same things. But some things I don't get "at all" or just crack me up!

 

[Walt34]

Here's another one who does not do crowds. I wouldn't go if it was free.

So for the rest of you, all the lines will be one person shorter because I won't be there.

 

[Plantman]

No, I don't like crowds!

And while I'm at it, what the "heck" is Ping Pong, Break Dancing and Skateboarding doing in the Olympics anyway. Rhetorical.

Rhetorical yes but if they have break dancing, how about Pickleball?

Ping pong was one of my favorite events to watch! It's probably only a matter of time before Pickelball is an event. Is tennis an Olympic event?

 

[disneysteve]

Ping pong was one of my favorite events to watch! It's probably only a matter of time before Pickelball is an event. Is tennis an Olympic event?

Tennis and Badminton are both Olympic events.

 

[Koolau]

I bought the DVD of the opening ceremony for the China Olympics. Fortunately, I only paid a dollar for it at a resale shop. I have to say, the spectacular opening was standard-setting. Uh, just my opinion, Paris didn't top it but YMMV.