MORE than 4.5 million web site visits were registered during Tokyo 2020’s second-chance Olympic ticket lottery for residents of Japan, which closed on Tuesday.
Launched on August 8, the additional ballot was for those unsuccessful during the first lottery which was held between May 9 and 28.
A Tokyo 2020 spokesman confirmed to insidethegames that the number of visits on the web site during the 11-day period was 4,580,000.
Nearly 700,000 tickets were available which were largely for first round and qualifying competitions.
People who did not apply at all during the first phase were not able to take part, alongside those who were allocated tickets in May.
The second lottery was announced by Tokyo 2020 due to the huge demand witnessed in the first phase.
More than 3.2 million tickets were sold but more than 7.5 million Japanese entered the ballot, meaning a huge number of people missed out.
The official ticketing web site was visited more than 24.25 million times in May with traffic overwhelming the system.
It prompted organizers to extend the application phase by 12 hours.
The sports with sessions available during the second lottery were athletics, baseball/softball, basketball, beach volleyball, canoe sprint, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, handball, hockey, modern pentathlon, mountain bike, rowing, rugby sevens, taekwondo, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling.
Fans were able to select one session as their first choice and one other session as their second choice.
A maximum of four tickets could be bought for sessions which include medal events and there was a limit of six tickets for all other sessions.
Those selected for tickets will be told on September 11 and payment will be due by September 24.
Tokyo 2020 initially estimated that 7.8 million tickets would be made available for the Olympic Games but it is thought the figure could rise to nine million, according to The Japan Times.
Organizers have also confirmed that a third lottery for Japanese residents will be held in the autumn.
This will replace a first come, first served process that had been planned in the host country.
Details of this lottery will be announced in “due course.”
A first come, first served phase will open in the spring of 2020 for fans both in Japan and abroad.
People living outside of Japan can now purchase tickets through authorized ticket resellers in their home countries, however, with that process beginning in June.
Paralympic sales will begin in Japan on Thursday.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will run between July 24 and August 9 with the Paralympics following between August 25 and September 6.
Tokyo 2020, meanwhile, announced that an additional “live site” will be set up for fans in Hamamatsu during next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The news brings the total number of sites up to 30 with organizers confirming the final list today.
All of the live sites will allow visitors to watch the action on big screens with a list of 29 locations unveiled last month.
Eleven of these are in Tokyo itself with others in the Tohoku and Kumamoto regions which were hit by natural disasters in 2011 and 2016.
The Hamamatsu site will be based at Entetsu Hall in the city in Shizuoka prefecture.
Organizers have also revealed a live site logo today which bids to emphasize the “unity” of the locations with the Games venues.
At the same time, the emblem is said to “express the enjoyment and excitement of what promises to be a unique experience for visitors.”
Run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and various other organizations, the sites will also offer on-stage entertainment and the chance for fans to try out Olympic and Paralympic sports.
“The live sites will be set up and decorated in such a way that visitors will be able to really feel the atmosphere of the Games the minute they set foot inside them,” a Tokyo 2020 statement said.
Live sites will be built in nine prefectures in all.
In Tokyo they will be located at Yoyogi Park, Inokashira Park, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, a multipurpose space in Morioka Park, JR Morioka Station Waterfall Plaza, Kotodai Park, Tsurugajo Castle, Aquamarine Park, Kumamoto-jo Hall and in front of Takanawa Gateway Station.
Other authorities with multiple locations are Kanagawa prefecture—Katase Higashihama Beach and Odawara Castle Park—and Yokohama—New Yokohama City Hall and Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium.
Among the other locations are Odori Park in Sapporo, the Kaiseizan Outdoor Concert Theater in Fukushima prefecture, the Ibaraki Prefecture Hall, Sonic City in Saitama prefecture, the Asaka City Multipurpose Gymnasium, the Sayama City Center and the Makuhari Seaside Park in Chiba prefecture.
Completing the list are Fujisawa City Hall, the Yamanakako Communication Plaza Kirara, the Nirayama Cultural Center, Matsukawa Park in Ito, the Suyama Area Training Center, Aoba Ryokuchi Park and the JR Gotemba station. Insidethegames
Image credits: AP