Empty Seats Abound At Olympics: Maybe Mitt Romney Was Kinda Correct

Hey, remember a few days ago when Romney said this?

“There are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging. Because there are three parts that makes Games successful.

“Number one, of course, are the athletes. That’s what overwhelmingly the Games are about. Number two are the volunteers. And they’ll have great volunteers here. But number three are the people of the country. Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment? And that’s something which we only find out once the Games actually begin.”

That’s the full quote, not just the first paragraph, or even just the “disconcerting” part, which most media outlets used. And it led to P.M. David Cameron saying “”We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere” and London Mayor Boris Johnson “”He wants to know whether we’re ready. Are we ready? Are we ready? Yes, we are.” Oh, really?

(Washington Post) Hoping to quell controversy after large swaths of seats appeared unfilled, London Olympic organizers said British troops and schoolchildren had been given free tickets Sunday to fill many of the vacant rows.

A day after the city reveled in the splendor of Danny Boyle’s critically acclaimed Opening Ceremonies, many locals were piqued Saturday when television footage showed empty seats at some of the most popular sporting events, including swimming and gymnastics, that they had been told were sold out. Such scenes ignited speculation that corporate sponsors had been provided tickets they weren’t using, leaving the public on the outside looking in.

This has prompted a big investigation into why there are tons of people mascarading as empty seats. The UK Daily Mail has a ton of pictures of those empty seats, and troops filling a few of them. So, looks like Mitt was able to fill seats in the “middle of nowhere” yet, in London, they are having issues. Of course, the people want to come together to celebrate the Olympics, it’s just there are too many problems getting them into the seats.

Then you have parents of athletes turned away from the Aquatics center.

Oh, and the Olympics flame, which is supposed to be kept lit the entire time, was extinguished to move it to another venue so that people could actually see it outside the venue, a criticism already lobbed.

Perhaps what Romney said wasn’t a gaffe.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

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4 Responses to “Empty Seats Abound At Olympics: Maybe Mitt Romney Was Kinda Correct”

  1. Gumball_Brains says:

    I thought I read that those seats were assigned to the press. And, the IOC is peeved that they are not sitting there. And they were going to punish them for not being in the seats.

    Last night Scotland Yard said every illegal seller arrested so far had held tickets despatched overseas to national committees and official re-sellers.

    One of the touts held is from Germany, another from Slovakia.

    The discovery raises further questions about the way in which precious tickets are allocated by the International Olympic Committee.

    And it will fuel anger among millions of British sport fans who have been left watching events on TV because they failed to get a seat in last year’s ballot.

    Organisers insisted the empty seats were not allocated to sponsors, claiming they were unused by athletes, officials and the media.

    Troops, students and teachers are being drafted in to sit in the empty seats to prevent a repeat of the embarrassing scenes.

    The Yard confirmed that about 20 people had been arrested attempting to sell tickets since the opening ceremony on Friday.

    Yesterday spectators who bought tickets for the Olympic Park, because all venues inside were sold out of lower-priced tickets, had the frustration of watching pictures on the big screen of unfilled seats.

    But a prickly Lord Coe insisted the ticketing process had worked.

    hahahahahahahahahhaah (from the bbc link)
    Sounds an awful lot like an Obama-clone.

  2. gitarcarver says:

    Aww c’mon Teach, you missed the best one!

    LONDON – A mysterious woman in red has caused an international incident at the London Olympics.

    Indian officials are mystified — and miffed — after an unknown young woman managed to march with the country’s athletes and officials during the opening ceremony Friday night.

    Games organizers on Sunday downplayed security concerns around the unscripted moment, saying the interloper was a ceremony cast member and had been screened before entering the Olympic Park.

  3. Gumball_Brains says:

    Yeah…
    “We meant to do that”

  4. Heh. Insert Pee Wee Herman here “I meant to do that”. So, we’ve had security fails, seating fails, and really weird opening ceremony, and the torch went out. But, it worked!!!!!

    I hadn’t seen that one, GT. Good thing security was working!

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