2008 Olympics: How to Get Tickets to the Beijing Olympics

If you're planning on making it to China for the 2008 Olympic Games, you'll need a valid passport, a six-month (or more) visa and event tickets. While the passport can be expedited and the visa obtained for approximately $100, tickets might become an issue. With more and more events reaching the sold out' status (no tickets available) and scams on every corner of the web, it's time for buyers to beware when headed for Beijing.

Several phase 2 ticket sales events ended on February 22, 2008. This includes the lottery tickets (where winners have the opportunity to purchase tickets to the venue of their choice), the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Paralympic Games, and submissions of photo IDs and required personal information for purchasing Olympic Ceremony tickets. Approved persons will be notified by the COC (Chinese Olympic Committee). Tickets for the general public went on sale April 1, 2008. You will be able to purchase them through the end of the games, or until an event is sold out.

Like any note-worthy occasion with large crowds of people coming and going and large amounts of money changing hands, Olympic events draw their fair share of rip-offs. Those with a flair for the internet can make a phony website that so mimics the real thing that they can fool even the most web-savvy and cautious. Take a look at these tow sites: http://www.tickets.beijing2008.cn/?lang=en-cn and http://www.beijing-2008tickets.com/default.asp. Both appear to be valid places to purchase tickets for the Beijing Games. Even a visit to the web pages give you little clue which is the real site and which is the knock-off. (The first, by the way, is the official site for purchasing tickets, the second is the poser.) Other websites are simply taking advantage of the Olympics by including some key words (tickets, Olympics, Beijing, etc.) in their web address to increase traffic flow. So how can you tell the real thing from the bogus?

Beware of sites with tickets that seem incredibly cheap, warn experts. An old adage warns us that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Also, sites that tout tickets for sold out' events are suspicious. Remember: the term sold out' indicates there are no tickets left to sell.

It is possible that tickets to sold-out events are in the hands of scalpers or corporate officers who have no intention of attending events. Regardless of what we generally see on television, not all venues that are sold out boast packed stadiums. If you're

If you're planning on making it to China for the 2008 Olympic Games, you'll need a valid passport, a six-month (or more) visa and event tickets. While the passport can be expedited and the visa obtained for approximately $100, tickets might become an issue. With more and more events reaching the sold out' status (no tickets available) and scams on every corner of the web, it's time for buyers to beware when headed for Beijing.

Several phase 2 ticket sales events ended on February 22, 2008. This includes the lottery tickets (where winners have the opportunity to purchase tickets to the venue of their choice), the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Paralympic Games, and submissions of photo IDs and required personal information for purchasing Olympic Ceremony tickets. Approved persons will be notified by the COC (Chinese Olympic Committee). Tickets for the general public went on sale April 1, 2008. You will be able to purchase them through the end of the games, or until an event is sold out.

Like any note-worthy occasion with large crowds of people coming and going and large amounts of money changing hands, Olympic events draw their fair share of rip-offs. Those with a flair for the internet can make a phony website that so mimics the real thing that they can fool even the most web-savvy and cautious. Take a look at these tow sites: http://www.tickets.beijing2008.cn/?lang=en-cn and http://www.beijing-2008tickets.com/default.asp. Both appear to be valid places to purchase tickets for the Beijing Games. Even a visit to the web pages give you little clue which is the real site and which is the knock-off. (The first, by the way, is the official site for purchasing tickets, the second is the poser.) Other websites are simply taking advantage of the Olympics by including some key words (tickets, Olympics, Beijing, etc.) in their web address to increase traffic flow. So how can you tell the real thing from the bogus?

Beware of sites with tickets that seem incredibly cheap, warn experts. An old adage warns us that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Also, sites that tout tickets for sold out' events are suspicious. Remember: the term sold out' indicates there are no tickets left to sell.

It is possible that tickets to sold-out events are in the hands of scalpers or corporate officers who have no intention of attending events. Regardless of what we generally see on television, not all venues that are sold out boast packed stadiums. If you're