The Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) is not selling tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
And Barbadians who want tickets for the July 27 to August 12 games will be directed to Cartan Tours on the Internet if they call the BOA offices.
However, said Cammie Burke, the BOA assistant secretary general, those who will be going to the games could still make a final request for their tickets online.
“It is a final booking process which will close on November 1. That will be weighed on the number of people. Cartan is interested in selling tickets for the entire 26 countries.
“It is like a lottery, so you just have to take your chances as far as that is concerned,” Burke said.
The chef de mission for the 2012 Games said there were no Barbadian qualifiers to date.
“We are still waiting on results from Pan Am. As you know, Bradley Ally did qualify for Pan Am but he had some challenges and he didn’t make it. Ryan Brathwaite as well had a few challenges at Worlds and he is not competing at Pan Am but we are still hopeful that we can have the Bradley Allys and the Ryan Brathwaites.”
Hopes are also high that triathlete Jason Wilson as well as tennis players Darian King and Haydn Lewis, all of whom are at Pan Am in Mexico, will qualify.
Skeet shooter Mike Maskell is making a push for his final Olympics.
In the event that there are no “A” or “B” qualifiers, Barbadian athletes could receive wild card entry to the games.
“We are hoping it won’t come down to that. If you remember a couple years ago, Michael Maskell didn’t make it to the Olympics and got a wild card. Michael is another one that is also trying to qualify for the Olympics,” Burke said.
“He is trying to make these Olympics his last and he is at Pan Am as well, trying to meet the qualifying mark.
“I must mention that in today’s environment, to simply qualify to participate in an Olympic Games is a great achievement for a small country and we are sure that once again the Caribbean will be a force to be reckoned with.”
