Tokyo 2020 tickets selling briskly

Tokyo 2020 Olympics mascot Miraitowa (left) and Paralympics’ Someity were designed by elementary school children across Japan. (Olympic.ca)

More than eight million Japan residents have already registered to buy tickets for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Registration of a “Tokyo 2020 ID” is necessary before buying tickets and 50,000 people had already completed the process when the summary of ticket prices was released in July last year.

Around 3.22 million tickets were sold during the first phase of the Olympics ticket lottery in May that saw heavy traffic disrupt the official ticketing website. An additional 350,000 were sold in August during a window open to those unsuccessful in the initial draw.

The second phase of the lottery began for residents of Japan on 13 November, with over one million tickets available for nearly all the events including the opening and closing ceremonies.

Applications can be made on the official ticketing website until 11:59 a.m. on Tuesday and the results of the lottery will be announced on 18 December. Winners will have until 10 January to complete their purchases.

The second phase of the Paralympics ticket lottery will start in January.

From next spring, tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis on the official ticketing website as well as over the counter in ticketing booths to be set up in Tokyo.

Final ticket sales are expected to surpass nine million, including overseas sales through designated resellers and distributors. (Kyodo)