Im not sure it was Baylor being that good or us being that bad," | Forum
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Nov 10 '17
LONDON -- What if they held an Olympics and nobody came? The situation isnt that bleak, of course, for the Sochi Games. Thomas Rawls Jersey . Yet, with less than three weeks to go until the opening ceremony, hundreds of thousands of tickets remain unsold, raising the prospect of empty seats and a lack of atmosphere at Russias first Winter Olympics. There are signs that many foreign fans are staying away, turned off by terrorist threats, expensive flights and hotels, long travel distances, a shortage of tourist attractions in the area, and the hassle of obtaining visas and spectator passes. "Some people are scared it costs too much and other people are scared because of security," senior International Olympic Committee member Gerhard Heiberg of Norway told The Associated Press. "From my country, I know that several people and companies are not going for these two reasons. Of course, there will be Norwegians there but not as many as we are used to." Sochi organizers announced last week that 70 per cent of tickets have been sold for the games, which run from Feb. 7-23 and represent a symbol of pride and prestige for Russia and President Vladimir Putin. So what about the remaining 30 per cent? "We are keeping a special quota for those who come for the games, so that they can indeed buy tickets for the competitions," organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said. Chernyshenko said about 213,000 spectators are expected at the games, with about 75 per cent likely to be Russians. "Tickets are being snapped up fast with the most popular events being hockey, biathlon, figure skating, freestyle and snowboard," the organizing committee said in a statement to the AP. "With 70 per cent of tickets already sold and another ticketing office opening shortly, we are expecting strong last-minute ticket sales and do not envisage having empty seats." Sochi officials have refused to divulge how many tickets in total were put up for sale, saying the figure would only be released after the games. However, according to IOC marketing documents seen by the AP, Sochi had a total of 1.1 million tickets on offer. That would mean about 300,000 tickets remained available. By comparison, 1.54 million tickets were available for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and 97 per cent (1.49 million) were sold. For the 2012 Summer Games in London, organizers sold 97 per cent (8.2 million) of their 8.5 million tickets. Heiberg, who chairs the IOC marketing commission, said the Russians have cut down by 50 per cent on the number of spectators originally planned for the mountain events for security reasons. "That means there will be less people and probably less enthusiasm than we had, for instance, in Lillehammer," he said. "I hope the Russians will fill not only their indoor stadiums but there will be enough people in the stadiums for the Nordic events." Heiberg organized the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, which stood out for the colorful atmosphere generated by passionate Norwegian fans. Sochis ticket sales began in February 2013, a year before the games. Tickets have been sold on Sochis official website on a first-come, first-served basis. Box offices are now open in Moscow and Sochi. The cheapest tickets go for 500 rubles ($15), the most expensive for 40,000 rubles ($1,200). More than half of all tickets cost less than 5,000 rubles ($150). The average monthly salary in Russia is 30,000 rubles ($890). The one and only authorized ticket office in Sochi was busy on a recent afternoon, with three dozen people lining up at what once was a waiting room at the citys railway station. Many, however, complained that all the cheap tickets were already gone. "Prices leave much to be desired, but what can you can do?" said Sochi resident Yana Ivolovskaya, who bought two tickets for bobsled for 2,000 rubles ($60). "Were not going to get another Olympics in Sochi so I thought I should go." Fans outside Russia buy tickets from authorized dealers appointed by their national Olympic committees. Attracting foreign visitors has been a challenge amid all the headlines about Russias law banning gay "propaganda," human rights issues and -- particularly -- the risk of terrorism. Back-to-back suicide bombings killed 34 people last month in Volgograd, about 400 miles (640 kilometres) from Sochi. On Sunday, an Islamic militant group in Russias North Caucasus claimed responsibility for the bombings and posted a video threatening to strike the Sochi Games. CoSport, the official ticket reseller in the United States and six other countries, said the Sochi Games generated "good demand" for tickets and packages. "We experienced demand at expected levels," spokesman Michael Kontos said, without giving figures. Flights to Sochi are expensive, and most international travellers have to go through Moscow, with direct flights to Sochi only available from Germany and Turkey. Western travellers must navigate the time-consuming visa process and requirement to obtain a "spectator pass" along with their tickets. This requires providing passport details that allow authorities to screen all visitors. "What we are hearing is that the bureaucratic complexity, with spectator passes and visa and so on, is what scares off fans, more than worries about security," Austrian Olympic Committee spokesman Wolfgang Eichler said. Jan Serenander, managing director of Jet Set Sports in Norway, cited a lack of tourist attractions in the Black Sea resort. "When Sochi was announced no one had even heard of the place," he said. "They had to get out their atlases." Die-hard winter sports fans, however, will not be discouraged. Orange-clad speedskating fans from the Netherlands are always among the most visible spectators at any Winter Games. "I expect it to be orange," Jeroen de Roever, manager of official Duch ticket seller ATPI, said of Sochis speedskating venue. "We have been sold out for quite a while." DeShawn Shead Jersey . Bouchard went down to a 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Svitolina in her opening match at the Sony Open on Friday. Bouchard got the rivalry going two years ago when she won the junior Wimbledon title over Svitolina. Malik McDowell Jersey . He was attracted by the punishing defence, the strong running game and a coaching staff he trusted. The 49ers announced Thursday that Manningham had signed a two-year deal to join the team he helped knock out in the NFC championship game two months ago in their latest offensive upgrade at wide receiver.SAN ANTONIO - Too big. Too strong. Too fast. Baylor was too much of just about everything for Creighton and Doug McDermott to handle. And because of it, the sixth-seeded Bears are rolling out of Texas toward California and the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 after an impressive 85-55 win Sunday night in the West Regional. Isaiah Austin and Canadian Brady Heslip each scored 17 points and Baylor used suffocating defence to shut down McDermott, ending the career of one of college basketballs most prolific scorers. "We did a good job making it tough on him," Bears coach Scott Drew said. McDermott, who averaged 27 points this season, finished with 15 but had just three in the first half as Baylor built a 20-point lead. McDermott ranks fifth on the NCAA career scoring list with 3,150 points. Baylor (26-11) had five players score in double figures and shot 64 per cent in one of the dominant performances of the tournament. The rest of the West bracket may want to pay attention to this one. A team that looked like a wreck six weeks ago with a 2-8 start in the Big 12 is brimming with confidence to match all that muscle in the lineup. "We take pride in people hating on us, and we love proving people wrong," Austin said. "Everybody has bought into the one goal that we have in mind and that is winning a national championship." Baylor plays No. 2 seed Wisconsin on Thursday in Anaheim. In Baylors two previous trips to the Sweet 16, it fell one game short of the Final Four. McDermott carried the Bluejays back to the round of 32 for the third year in a row, and had done it in spectacular style, leading the nation in scoring with a sublime shooting touch and uncanny knack to slither his way through defenders for layups and putback baskets. McDermott spurned the chance to turn pro after last season, and this was the year the Bluejays and their senior-laden lineup were expected to drive Creighton farther into the NCAA tournament than any Bluejays team before them. But Baylors defence gave him nothing: neither space to shoot nor even chances for his teammates to pass him the ball. And for all the talk about Creightons maturity and bonding, Baylor made the Bluejays look small and slow. "This is the worst weve played all season, and it just stinks that its the last one. Luke Joeckel Jersey. But that doesnt take away from all my memories here. Its tough to go out this way," McDermott said. Baylor came out blazing from long range, knocking down five 3-pointers in the first 7 minutes. Kenny Chery of Montreal made three and when Heslip, who was 0 for 6 in Fridays win over Nebraska, swished his first against Creighton, he mockingly shook the fingers on both hands as he loped back down the court. "We were just expecting it to be a fight, to be honest," said Heslip, whos from Burlington, Ont. McDermott, meanwhile, struggled to find any kind of space inside or out against Baylors zone defence and badly misfired on his first attempt, a baseline shot that missed everything. This rout was just beginning. The Bears flexed their muscle early and often with a lineup built for the rigours of the Big 12. Austin is 7-foot-1 and he teamed with 6-10 forward Cory Jefferson in the frontcourt. When Creighton missed a shot, the typical result was three Bears under the basket with no Bluejays around. Baylors bench was just as intimidating. When reserve forward Rico Gathers pushed his 6-foot-8, 270-pound frame through the lane for a layup, two Creighton defenders were powerless to stop him. By the time Baylor had built a 20-point halftime lead, McDermott had taken only three shots, made one and had two fouls. "We knew we had them on their heels," Austin said. "We wanted to step on their throat." Even when Creighton got a spark — Ethan Wragge made two 3-pointers early in the second half — Baylor simply matched basket for basket, denying any hopes of a rally. Soon it was showtime as Baylors lead kept growing. Jefferson slammed down an alley-oop dunk for a 58-34 lead with just more than 12 minutes to play. Gathers added another rim-rattler a few minutes later, his broad shoulders soaring to the basket to punctuate the night. When McDermott left the game with 2:31 to play, he hugged his father, Creighton coach Greg McDermott, before retreating to the bench and burying his face in a towel. "Im not sure it was Baylor being that good or us being that bad," Greg McDermott said. "Over the course of the season youre going to have a few clunkers. We had one at the wrong time." Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys' ' '
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