Unlike previous events, the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand will not offer free admission. Instead, fans will have to buy tickets if they want to watch some attractive sports directly such as football and volleyball.
Mr. Gongsak Yodmani - Head of the Sports Department of Thailand (SAT) said that the host organizing committee will apply a policy of opening free rooms for students, the elderly and the disabled at all competition locations in the three host cities of Bangkok, Chonburi and Chiang Mai.
However, for "hot" sports, tickets will be sold to control the number of people entering the stadium and ensure the quality of the event.
Although tickets are sold, Mr. Gongsak affirmed that the organizers will maintain a moderate price so that domestic and foreign fans can come to the stadium to cheer. Detailed information about ticket prices and ticket purchase procedures will be announced in the near future.
This ticket sales policy marks a clear change compared to the most recent SEA Games. At the 32nd SEA Games (Cambodia) or the 31st SEA Games (Vietnam), all sports are open for free, except for men's football.
The 33rd SEA Games are scheduled to be held in Bangkok (31 events), Chonburi (17 events) and Chiang Mai (1 event). The ticket sales for the events are said to improve the organization and effective control of the audience, but still ensure widespread reach with fans.
For the first time, the 33rd SEA Games organizing committee also collected a tuition fee of 20,000 USD from broadcasters in countries when performing at the Games.
