The National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB) has criticised the ticketing methods used at the London 2012 Olympics saying that many fans have not been able to purchase a ticket despite many empty seats at some of the most popular events in the Games at venues like Wimbledon saying that with a closed secondary market, fans have nowhere to turn, although some nation's officials were re-selling tickets and the ban on secondary ticketing was simply ineffective and didn't work.
According to a recent press release from NATB, the distribution method used by the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOGOG) and the prohibition on the re-sale of tickets on the secondary market backfired, causing immense ticketing problems despite the fact that officials from countries including Serbia and China were willing to break the ban and sell top-levels seats for the Opening and Closing ceremonies, diving, gymnastics, and athletics. According to a statement from the LOGOC, "National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and their Authorized Ticket Sellers (ATRs) sign a contract with LOCOG agreeing to specific terms and conditions." The authorized sellers are limited to selling tickets within their own country. The Telegraph reported in June that 1.2 million tickets were distributed to NOCs to be used for sale within their own country and to be distributed to their athletes' families and the country's sponsors. UK Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said of empty seats, usually allocated to members of the 'Olympic Family' "Often these are very nice seats in very high-profile positions — and so what we're saying to the IOC and the International Sports Federations is if you're not going to use them, could we have as many as possible back, because, of course, we've got lots of members of the public who would dearly love to go."
