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The Way I See It
IF you've thought about going to Sydney 2000 and haven't made plans, you're in for a shock. Gold cards needed
to see OlympicsSpending a week in the city will cost you much more than you'd ever dream of budgeting for a family vacation.
Right now, families of athletes are scurrying to find lodging that doesn't wipe out their savings.
When the world converges on an Olympic venue, price gouging is the natural consequence.
Travel agencies in Honolulu that handle Down Under travel report that it's almost impossible to find accommodations at this stage. And what's available is prohibitively expensive.
One agent said some hotels in the city have increased prices by 500 percent.
I was quoted $3,310 for a five-night stay at one hotel near the main Olympic venues. That included tickets to the opening ceremonies.
I was told there are hotels an hour outside the city that go for $90 a night, but they're also booked solid.
Another agent told me of campgrounds 200 miles outside Sydney. That's where a lot of fans will be trying to stay warm as the Australian winter comes to a close.
Packages that include ticket deals can save money, especially for the opening and closing ceremonies.
Prices posted on the Web by Cartan Travel, the authorized U.S. distributor of Olympic tickets, have the cheapest ticket for either ceremony going for $385 and most expensive at $1,054.
Throughout its events, swimming charges the most for its best seats: $347. The lower-priced seats are $248 and $172.
Water sports draw tremendous interest in Australia, so it's no wonder that seating in the Sydney International Aquatics Center is at a premium.
The only time the Dream Team would command $347 a seat at the Sydney SuperDome would be in the gold medal game. Attending the earlier games will cost only $34, $42 and $53. Gymnastics remains a major draw and will charge $271 and $217.
If Brian Viloria battles his way to the gold medal round in light flyweight boxing, it will cost you $80, $111 and $271 to see him in person.
Kind of makes you glad you can get a taste of the Olympics by buying those $18 and $35 tickets to see the U.S. men's and women's basketball teams play at the Stan Sheriff Center this summer.
The good news if you're going there is that the Board of the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games is making half a million tickets available at $10 to $19. That should make it possible for the average person to see some action.
Just like any mega-event that's overbooked, the XXVII Olympiad is bound to yield vacancies at the last minute. So be patient, if you want to go.
Meanwhile, NBC is a free ticket. The network's pre-Olympic coverage includes this weekend's diving trials in Seattle.
Sydney 2000 Olympics
SUMMER RAINBOWS: If you've got a yen to check up on the off-season activities of University of Hawaii basketball players, check out the 2000 NCAA Summer Basketball League at Kaimuki High School gym on Friday and Saturday nights.
Top returning rebounder Troy Ostler is playing for Central Medical Clinic; top returning scorer Predrag Savovic will play briefly for Electricians Hawaii before heading off to meet his brother in Florida, and top returning assist man Nerijus Puida is playing for Honolulu Ford.
Tre Stovall, who gave UH its 100th point in the double-OT semifinal WAC tourney loss to Fresno State, is with Mango Moon. Another veteran walk-on, Rahula Hall, is playing for Gaspro.
Pat Bigold has covered sports for daily newspapers
in Hawaii and Massachusetts since 1978.
