I went in with a game plan but not a blank check.
I scored tickets to four Olympics events that I can get excited about, even two years before the Summer Olympics arrive in the greater Los Angeles area.
The interface for the LA28 tickets page is easy to use. I was able to navigate by sports and venues. I had a little bit of sticker shock once in; some of the lower-price levels I had hoped for were not available, but with a little flexibility, I found some tickets to purchase.
When word arrived on Wednesday that our family would have access to Thursday’s 4 p.m. drop of LA28 Olympic tickets, we got to work deciding what we would want to see. The LA28 site has a grid with all the events under the “GAME PLAN” tab on its website that has the pertinent information on times and locations, which made it easy to peruse all the options. Or you can look up sport by sport.
We watched some of LA28’s very useful YouTube videos in preparation as well. That is where I picked up the tip that each event has a session code and you can search by that to find it quickly when heading in to buy your tickets.
Most interested in showing support in person for members of Team USA, but having to make choices on events two years early, we strategized picking preliminaries or finals we thought Americans would be most likely to appear in. And in some of the sports we are most drawn to.
I created a spreadsheet with dates (because you know I was about to try to buy tickets for three events in three different cities at the same time) and those session codes. Then I set my alarm for 3:55 p.m. and waited.
Once our 4 p.m. window opened, following the links for the email you receive gets you easily where you need to go, but there are a few places where you are going to wait while your turn in the queue comes up, so don’t panic. And it tells you what is happening.
Then I was on the main page and started plugging in session codes … men’s basketball gold medal round, baseball gold medal round and on down the line.
It was very easy to find the events we were interested in, even later after I had gone through the session codes I wanted to check and just started clicking around through the various sports.
Once you choose the event you are interested in, there is a map that shows the ticket categories — you are buying a section at this point, not a specific seat.
Honestly, personal finances are where I ran into the most trouble. A lot of the lower-cost tickets were not available for the sports we wanted to see. That is when I expanded my search and started poking around at sports that might not have been our first choice but still seem cool.
And it’s the Olympics, it’s going to be cool just to say we were there!
I jumped on $28 tickets to taekwondo and to equestrian events, we splurged a bit on basketball and football (soccer). You can keep adding tickets to your cart, and it holds them for 30 minutes — just keep your eye on the countdown. I tossed in a few that I ultimately ended up deleting for something else, so don’t be afraid to add something you might find interesting; you can always remove it before checking out.
Definitely check the LA28 website and those useful YouTube videos; there are ticket limits, and it depends on sports, so have that in mind going in.
But checking out was very easy and very familiar if you ever buy stuff online. And watch for the place where you can add a commemorative printed ticket (for an extra cost) if that is important to you; otherwise, they are all digital.
And if you still have some ticket spots left, you can go back in multiple times during your window and do some more shopping.
Now I have to find the right red-white-and-blue outfit for watching dressage!