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Original poster

Babies need a ticket for the Olympics!

53 replies

Murtette · 04/11/2011 16:58

Was anyone else aware of this? Out of the various events we applied for, we were allotted two tickets for the swimming. Now it appears unlikely that I'll be able to go as I have a due date of mid-May so DC will be around 2 months by the time of the Olympics and, according to the 2012 website, everyone entering the venue will require a ticket, whatever their age. I just rang the ticket helpline and was told that further tickets will be available for certain events in December and I should try & get a ticket for the event I'm going to for DC then but I should be aware it may be in a different seating area.
Theoretically, I could leave DC with grandparents for the morning (although more likely to be 5 - 6 hours by the time we travel there & back) but, I hope to ebf (as I did with DD) and worry that this DC may be as reluctant to take a bottle as its sister was in which case I won't be able to leave it for that long. Expecting grandparents to travel to Stratford & hang around outside with DC and call me when s/he needs a feed seems a bit much!
I'm telling myself that I won't have to worry about making a swift exit if DC cries but that's not much comfort when I'm feeling this cross and disappointed.

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littlepie · 07/12/2011 19:55

I've just read this and really can't believe it! I'm not even going but am outraged on everyone's behalf.

As someone said, I really think a call to the press or contacting your local MP is needed. This is discrimination against mothers- it's hard enough with a baby without idiots adding additional stress.

Child-friendly event?

lollopybear · 07/12/2011 20:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Flickstar · 08/12/2011 09:52

Also in the same position. two tickets for swimming on the 31st July and due on the 9th. I AM GOING!

KatAndKit · 08/12/2011 11:19

This is ridiculous. Essentially women of childbearing age should not have had the audacity to book tickets in case they conceived in the meantime. I could understand it if you only had to buy the tickets a few months before the event, but how on earth can you buy a ticket for a hypothetical maybe baby? As others have said, a small baby does not need its own seat and you can hardly abandon it in another area!

This is totally nuts and I think some proper complaining should take place.

notcitrus · 09/12/2011 11:40

Have re-sent an email to the 'send a question' link - though I'm sure that's where the first one went.

Here's some contact details for people wanting to take this further:
For general enquiries related to London 2012, please call 0845 267 2012.
(and get the issue on the lists of 'questions the call centre got asked lots this week', rather than a real answer!)

The guy responsible:
Paul Deighton, Chief Executive Officer, LOCOG
London 2012
One Churchill Place
Canary Wharf
London E14 5LN
Tel: 020 3 2012 000

And the one in charge:
Jeremy Hunt,
Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport
House of Commons
SW1A 0AA

Interestingly, Wiki says he has a "Son Jack, born May 2010", so one would hope he has a clue about babies...

I would copy any letter you send him to [email protected] so it gets dealt with more quickly.

Will be sending my own pointed letter shortly if I don't get a full response - after all, we wouldn't want to have to go to the national press and make the Government look like idiots, would we?

KnitterNotTwitter · 09/12/2011 11:45

marking my place on this. Another person here who foolishly go pregnant without checking the olympics T&C's...! DC2 will be 3mo when the olympics come round....

exBrightonBell · 09/12/2011 16:37

Hi all, I too am in the same situation. There was no way I could have known I'd be having a 4 week old in August 2012 when I bought the tickets! I really want to go and take the baby anyway and see if they dare stop me, but I'm worried that they really will stop women with tiny babies from getting into the stadium. Do you think it possible to smuggle a baby in?!

Graciescotland · 09/12/2011 16:39

Really, gah we got tickets but assumed DS would be on my knee, bollocks. Are the tickets returnable?

Original poster
Murtette · 09/12/2011 21:36

I emailed a mate who works for the BBC a few days ago but haven't had a response yet - not that that is much of a surprise as he's tardy at the best of times and we probably last caught up a couple of years ago!
I think I'll be following up not citrus's suggestions too.
For those of you wanting to know about refunds, I think that some of the tickets coming on sale in the new year are returns as well as fresh tickets.

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MarathonMama · 09/12/2011 22:16

My husband thinks we should all turn up with babies in tow. If they don't let us in we'll leave them with security - free babysitting! St. John's Ambulance will be there so they'll be well looked after... (grin)

MarathonMama · 09/12/2011 22:17

That shoudl be Xmas Grin

MarathonMama · 09/12/2011 22:17

and that should be should Xmas Smile

gallicgirl · 09/12/2011 22:32

I knew about it as DD will be 18 MO at the time. I actually think this is the reason we didn't get any tickets as if they can't supply one of the tickets, you don't get any. For example, if you request 6 adult tickets, 2 child tickets and 2 concession tickets but there are no child tickets left for that event, you don't get any of the other tickets either.

We ended up with 3rd choice tickets and opted to go during the week when she's at nursery. However, thanks to security and ridiculous travel times of 3 hours each way, I can't see us going. What makes it worse is we live just a short walk away from one of the venues :(

It is a fecking ridiculous policy but they'll probably just cite fire regs or something stupid.

Enraha · 10/12/2011 08:11

I imagine there's concerns about pushchairs, liquids and the other baby-associated paraphenalia that visitors will need to bring; they couldn't really start asking detailed questions about all of this in the application process. We were TTC when I bought tickets, so I bought some "pay your age" tickets on the off-chance, which we luckily need. Likewise I think we missed out on the events we really wanted. The airline analogy isn't quite equivalent is it, as babes in arms do pay a (reduced) fare and need to be included in the booking?

However, I'm sure they'll come up with a proposal nearer the event if enough people raise it, and i'm sure they wouldn't want a family-unfriendly crisis. However, I kind of sympathise that with everything else they couldn't possibly factor in speculative fertility issues for the complicated ticketing process, no other entertainment event would.

notcitrus · 10/12/2011 09:47

All the one- and two-year olds with tickets will be coming with pushchairs and paraphernalia, not to mention half the three-year-olds!

I think pointing out how terrible it would look to turn away mothers of small babies at the gates during the event, under the eye of so many TV cameras, might clue someone in.

Have just asked an international community I'm in how other Olympics dealt with this.

KnitterNotTwitter · 10/12/2011 17:00

Just remembered that someone who used to work at my company is now working for Olympics. I've linked her to this thread and asked her if she can sort it out for us...! Long shot but worth a try :-) She has young kids too and is lovely so will understand why we're upset...

LackingNicknameInspiration · 12/12/2011 15:16

Just looking through all the info prior to sending an email to 2012 admin about this.

One other thing that I've just spotted is that tickets are non-transferrable but that other members of the family or friends can use the tickets provided that the lead booker attends too. In my case, that's me - so, basically, if I can't go, as I have a 3-month old baby to BF, then, er, neither can my husband and daughters. So I'll have to give the tickets back, which means that none of us will be able to go.

It just gets worse, doesn't it. I think I shall set aside some time this evening to write a long email!

gallicgirl · 12/12/2011 15:23

I wondered about that when booking groups of tickets.
Will they check identity at entrances to ensure the ticket leader is present?

needinstructions · 12/12/2011 15:29

I asked about the "lead booker" issue that LackingNicknameInspiration mentions and was told that it would be ok for me and two friends to use tickets in my husband's name without him needing to be there too.

Their exact response was "It will be fine for yourself to attend The Games with your partners tickets, we would advise that you take along some ID in case you are asked to provide some proof that he is your husband. By showing some ID we will be able to clarify that you are in fact related and therefore you will be granted access with his tickets."

So at least someone in the family can benefit. I will also have a tiny baby and am really REALLY hoping that I can still go along as we have got some amazing tickets.

gallicgirl · 12/12/2011 16:09

erm...so what if you're NOT married or related?

I am most definitely related to my mother but we don't have the same surname and my child doesn't have my surname.

I wonder if a permission letter would suffice? Not well thought through, is it?

Don't know why I'm getting so bothered as I'll probably be selling my tickets back to them.

Poweredby200mgofCaffeineaday · 12/12/2011 19:41

This is crazy! DH and I have been looking forward to the Olympics for ages and he managed to knock me up in oct so I'm now due 6th July, bad timing I admit. Obviously I don't know if I'll be able to go but I definitely assumed that tiny babies could just come along with their mums, what on earth else can you do?

Kveta · 12/12/2011 19:53

I commented on this loudly at the time of tickets going on sale, and was roundly told I was being deeply unreasonable to expect under 1s to get in for free!! Luckily DH and I were TTC, so got a ticket for DC2 just in case - DC2 is due in June, so will hopefully be able to use his or her ticket!

I emailed the ticket folk when booking though, and they told me that babies would need tickets, so would be surprised if they have changed their minds by now. It's so shit, isn't it?!

KnitterNotTwitter · 13/12/2011 22:20

My friend who works for the olympics just posted me this reply:

Everyone attending the Olympic Games must be a ticket holder, no matter how old they are. This is mainly for Health and Safety reasons (and therefore licensing) - we need to know exactly how many people are in a venue and the only way to do that is to insist everyone has a ticket. Here is some info on the issue:

Approximately one million additional tickets will be going on sale early next year when there may be an opportunity to purchase extra ticket(s) for the session(s) you already have tickets for. We are not able to guarantee that tickets will be available, but if they are then we would do everything we can to allocate any additional tickets next to those you already have.

Where available, pay your age tickets for children aged one and under would be charged at £1. You would need a full price ticket for the session in order for any children to accompany you on the day. If you wish to add a pay your age ticket to your existing account, which should already have at least one full price ticket in it, you would need to call the Ticketing team on 0844 847 2012 when tickets go on sale. Unfortunately you will not be able to do this online.

Please also note that there will be limited storage for prams and pushchairs at the venues. For security and safety reasons prams and pushchairs will not be allowed in seating areas.

Original poster
Murtette · 13/12/2011 22:43

Knitter - that's the standard information which is on the website. It doesn't really help much unfortunately. At least she responded to you, unlike my mate who I still haven't heard from.

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