Anyone Watched the Olympics in Person? Was it worth it?

[Kiwi Mustache]

With the olympics being on, I quite enjoy watching the odd bits and pieces, especially swimming and of course cheering on my home country.

Has anyone gone and watched it in person as a bucket list travel type thing?

If it is ever on again in Australia I'd be interested to pop across to watch it in person.

[gggggg]

I had the opportunity to go to the Atlanta Olympics. I've always kicked myself for not going when it was only a couple hundred miles away.

[gaja]

I had tickets to the Lillehammer olymics, but got the flu. My siblings went, and reported back: It was very cold.

[former player]

Went to London 2012, although hardly a bucket list travel experience as I'd lived there for 25 years and could easily go up on the train and stay at my brother's house.  On the other hand, it was highly memorable, a great experience (London was definitely en fete for the occasion) and I'll always be glad I went.

[robartsd]

DW would really like to go to an Olympics - I could see making an effort to go if the games are on the west coast of USA again. (Perhaps should have gone to SLC in 2002, but tickets for indoor events are pricey and outdoor winter events are COLD.)

SnackDog's location is suddenly much more detailed than "Latin America". I certainly would go see an Olympic road race if it was within bicycling distance of my house. I would not however, ride down the road they took near then end of Rio's race.

[renata ricotta]

I went to some Olympic-adjacent things (concerts, festivals, etc.) and lots of people I know got tickets to the actual events (often the less-popular ones) when they were in my hometown, Salt Lake City, in 2002. I was only 12, but thought it was pretty fun. The people I know who went to events thought it was great.

So: I'd say if you don't have to pay through the nose for inflated airfare or lodging, and either go to an event you really care about ($$$) or go to a lower-priority event just for the experience, it's worth it.

[RetiredAt63]

We drove out to Bromont for the equestrian events back during the Montreal Olympics (1976).  Hot day, lots of us doing the drive, many overheated cars at the side of the road.  But it was worth it, horse jumping is so much more interesting to see live rather than on TV.

[mskyle]

I went to several events at London 2012 and it was a great experience but also a very lucky and Mustachian one... a friend of mine had to back out of her trip at the last moment and let me have all her tickets (I just had to get to London, which I did mostly on points, and catsit the cats she had agreed to catsit). Really exciting to be in the city during the Olympics, though I would never want them to come to my own city!

[Mr Dorothy Dollar]

My fraternity brother is there right now. He is a volunteer and gets free access to tons of events. He does not get to pick much. He got to hand out medals. He saw a volleyball game, diving, tennis, weight lifting. He had to pay his own way, but I would say being a volunteer in an Olympics that is in a developing country is the way to go (lots of empty seats). 

[crazy jane]

My entire extended family went to Atlanta. We all stayed with various relatives. Had one heck of a family reunion. Saw beach volleyball, water polo, track and field and men's gymnastics all around. My kids are gymnasts, so that event was especially meaningful. Overall, I wouldn't go again unless I knew someone participating.

[LeRainDrop]

My friend (then 15 years old) and his family (parents and brother) got tickets to table tennis for the 1996 Olympics, as they lived in a suburb of Atlanta.  They didn't know anything more than your average American about the sport, but he told me that they had such an awesome time at the event.  It was an incredible amount of energy and fun to attend, and he was super-impressed with the players' skills.

Side note that Atlanta news had been warning all residents to stay off the highways because they expected crazy traffic, but everyone heeded the warning so the highways were essentially empty the whole time.

[Adge]

My family moved to the Atlanta suburbs in the summer of '96 when I was 9 and my sister was 6, and I remember we went downtown for some Olympic-related events, but I don't think we went to any of the actual paid events. I think we saw some kind of running event, a road race of some sort. But as kids, it was really a memorable experience overall- playing in Centennial Park in the fountain shaped like the Olympic rings, collecting pins, seeing so many people from all over the world (we had just moved from a small town so this was a novelty for us!). I still have a small coin collection comprised mostly of foreign coins picked up off the ground at that time. I remember we met a couple of ladies from Japan who gave us a small paper flag with some Japanese writing on it. We took a picture with them that my parents still have on their wall. It's one of the strongest memories from my childhood and I'm really glad it was something I got to experience.

tl;dr even if you don't pay to attend any of the actual events, if you have a chance to take some kids to the Olympics you totally should :)

[iris lily]

Not olympics, but some years ago,the US Figure skating Championships were held in St. louis, the main events being 1 mile  from my house. There  were so many events that they had to use another ice rink way out in the county. I did drive all the way out there to watch some of the novice and junior competitions. Tv shows only a few of these.

I bought the entire ticket package for over $1,000 which got me into practices. The practice sessions were great because you could sit wherever you wanted and there was usually a seat in the first two rows for even for the  big  name skaters. The big ticket price was mainly useful for securing an excellent seat for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night super events of Senior competititioms and performance.

[Dicey]

Lived in L.A. during the '84 Olympics. Loved it! I only went to one ticketed event, which was awesome. There were loads of related events which were free. The ticketed event I attended was a soccer semi-final at the Rose Bowl. I felt like I was sitting in the middle of an amazing picture postcard. I carry that feeling with me to this day.

[Tick-Tock]

We were able to drive over to SLC 2002 and had a blast.  We saw bobsled, hockey, and the ice skating exhibition (which was fun because competition was over, so no stress, and we got to see all the top skaters). The atmosphere was great, especially all the athletes walking around in their team uniforms.

It wan't cheap but was totally worth it.

[GuitarStv]

I certainly would go see an Olympic road race if it was within bicycling distance of my house. I would not however, ride down the road they took near then end of Rio's race.

I'd certainly ride down that road . . . but wouldn't be going quite as fast as the racers.  :P

[Capsu78]

Have not been to an event but been close to them on several occasions: Took my now adult daughter to see the Olympic Torch run in Norcal in 1984, was in London when they were submitting their bid a nd Trafalger Square was set up with exhibits, visited China and saw many of the venues about 70 days prior to their games in 2008, and did the same in London in 2012...3 weeks ago was in Athens and saw the original "modern games" stadium and have seen a half dozen venues that have hosted Olympics- Helsinki, LA Colosium, Rome...and unfortunately stood in the "party plaza" in Chicago when we lost the bid and Brazil won it (the fix was in, but we would still be stuck with Mayor Daley had we won the bid- ain't no way nobody but him would have cut the ribbon for the Chicago games.)  Thought about visiting Brazil last spring but too many issues for this traveler...

[saijoe]

I have family in Atlanta.  So the wife and I went in 1996.  Large crowds, heat, etc. made it a little miserable, But it's one of those "once in a lifetime" things.  Now that I'm a little older, I wouldn't mind doing it again.  But I'd like to go to a winters Olympics. 

[marty998]

Totally worth it. Happy carnival atmosphere!

Went did well in the ticket lottery and went to a lot of events in Sydney... Hockey, Table Tennis, Beach Volleyball, athletics and 2 football games as well. The trick was to apply for the slightly less popular events, as anything involving Australia or blue-ribbon events went for over the odds prices.

In the football we booed the Hondurans(?) I can't remember, for time wasting and faking injuries. They were not used to being abused by the crowd for all their tantrums and play acting. Australia had a player named Stan Lazaridies who was a left winger running down the sideline where I was sitting... Stan appreciated us shouting out "Kick it to Stan! Kick it to Stan!" He was always free and clear, I think the opposition thought he wasn't worth marking or wasting a defender on!

Beach volleyball was great... as a 14 year old boy lol.... I was watching all the hand signals! Honestly! The fact they hand signal near their cute bums is beside the point...

Ping Pong is hard to watch as a spectator... you're comparatively a long way away and the ball is so small. Same with Athletics... when you're up in the nose bleed seats... the shot put can be up to 140 metres away.

[oldtoyota]

I attended a soccer game at the Atlanta Olympics. That said, the game was held in Orlando so it was similar to attending a soccer game in any stadium. I'm not sure how it would have been different to be in ATL.

[Dee18]

I went to women's gymnastics in Atlanta when I was living there.  I was amazed at how much it seemed like a college meet, only with younger gymnasts.  I'm glad I went once, but would only go again if I happened to be in the location.

[dreams_and_discoveries]

I did the London Olympics, it seemed too good an opportunity to miss as I was living here - only costs were the tickets.

So it was a bargain, and a really fun day out. In fact the whole city was really buzzing for the Olympics.

As for would I travel for them, and spend lots of money to see them, that's a different question....I probably wouldn't as I'm not too much of a sports fan.

[Gerard]

I concur with a lot of people here. It's great if it's in your town, or a town where you can cadge accommodations and know how to get around. Mostly for the vibe or atmosphere, sort of a World's Fair carnival positive vibe.

The only Olympics where I actually paid to attend events was way back in 1976 in Montreal, and what I learned was that "unpopular" sports or matches are just as much fun as the big-ticket items. I had a great time at field hockey matches, a sport I had never watched before that. Also, some practices were open to the public, and I went to one for gymnastics and enjoyed the "backstage" vibe. Plus this girl named Nadia something was really good.

Has anybody here travelled to an Olympics recently, in the days of airbnb and couchsurfing? Did that make it possible to get around the massive increase in accommodation prices that usually accompanies an event like this?

[itchyfeet]

Going to the Olympics is awesome, so long as you don't mind spending a little. Personally, I think the cost is worthwhile, and I have amassed a wealth of incredible Olympic memories..... More than many athletes who have competed haha.

I was working in Sydney in 2000, and through my job scored a number of invites to events. I supplemented this with some ticket purchases of my own and we went to the "free" events like the marathon and road race. We also partied hard in the city for the entire games, and generally had an amazing time. Sydmey has never been the same before or since. I was badly bitten  by the Olympic bug.

In 2004 we managed to find ourselves as part of the Olympic torch relay, which passed through Sydney. My wife and I were lucky to be invited to row a  torch bearer up the river for a couple of Kms as the sun set. Being a part of the torch relay was Another memorable Olympic moment that has shaped my love of the Olympics.

Then in 2012 a friend in London invited us to stay at their house for the Olympics. I took up the offer and bought a bucket load of tickets. I think we went to about 13 events, but as we weren't paying for accommodation I didn't mind splashing out on tickets. We spent about $500 per ticket to go to one night of the athletics, which was incredible. We deliberated hard before spending $1,000 on 3 hrs entertainment, but in hindsight we are glad we spent the money. The rest of the tickets were far cheaper. Besides athletics we went to all manner of sports i.e.: judo, weightlifting, track cycling, rowing, basketball, football, gymnastics, beach volleyball, indoor volleyball etc. one day we went to 3 events in different corners of London. We had a ball!

After London I was so addicted to the Olympics that I decided to go to Sochi for the Winter Olympics in 2014. Again I purchased a large wad of tickets to every conceivable event, and again we had a wild time, with maybe a little too much vodka. We were able to keep the cost down for Sochi by staying on a cruise ship on the Black Sea, which came all inclusive with meals. It was a great deal. I think I spent about $3,000 in total event tickets for the 2 of us to go to about 10-12 events.

All 3 Olympics I have attended were really memorable times, that I know I will always  look back on fondly. I plan to be well and truly fired before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and would love to attend, if we can find a way to keep the cost sensible. I have a couple of friends living in Tokyo, so fingers crossed they might open their doors to an Olympic junkie.

[dreams_and_discoveries]

I concur with a lot of people here. It's great if it's in your town, or a town where you can cadge accommodations and know how to get around. Mostly for the vibe or atmosphere, sort of a World's Fair carnival positive vibe.

Now I would love to have been at a World Fair, they all look so fun and romanticised now looking back at the pictures.....

[rocketpj]

I went to one event at the 1988 Calgary Olympics - the bobsled.

I think the bobsled may be one of the only events that is much worse to watch in person than on a screen. 

"Here they come...WHOOSH' as a flash of color goes by.  Stand in the snow and wait 10 minutes for the next bobsled.

The only excitement at all was when the Jamaican team crashed and came to a stop right in front of us. 

I didn't go to any events at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, mostly because we had just moved, had no money and a new baby.  I later regretted not going to anything.

[RetiredAt63]

I concur with a lot of people here. It's great if it's in your town, or a town where you can cadge accommodations and know how to get around. Mostly for the vibe or atmosphere, sort of a World's Fair carnival positive vibe.

Now I would love to have been at a World Fair, they all look so fun and romanticised now looking back at the pictures.....

Aah, Expo 67.  I basically spent my summer there.  The Iranian pavilion was beautiful.  The Buckydome was cool. Plus a Jefferson Airplane free show one noon hour at Place Ville Marie.

[FIREGuy]

I was in London for the entire summer in 2012 (staying with a family friend) and it is definitely worth it if you do it right. A couple things that help cut costs but still give you the excitement of the Olympics:

1. There were free or low cost parties in the parks where they put up huge screens to watch some events. You still get a great atmosphere but with a fraction of the cost. One of the biggest aspects for me was simply walking around London and being part of all the excitement. Hearing all the languages, seeing all the flags. No need to buy tickets to experience that.

2. Find the more obscure events, many times the tickets are cheap and you can buy a nosebleed seat and move up to the front if there is no one else in there. The only pricey tickets I bought were for Track (I'm a big track fan) and to see the USA play basketball. Other than that, most tickets were $50 or less. I even made money buying and selling tickets on Craigslist. This was apparently frowned upon os many of the transactions took place in side streets or the back of a KFC. A little sketchy but it makes for a better story.

I would say if you are at all interested in the games, do it at least once in your life. There is a wide range of how much you can spend, but there are so many free and low cost options - you just have to look for them.

[Gerard]

Aah, Expo 67.  I basically spent my summer there.  The Iranian pavilion was beautiful.  The Buckydome was cool. Plus a Jefferson Airplane free show one noon hour at Place Ville Marie.

I obviously didn't realize it at the time, but wow, what luck Montrealers had, getting a great World's Fairs and one of the last accessible Olympics, within a decade of each other. Of course, they/we then spent decades paying for it.

I was in Toronto during the Pan Am Games last year, and didn't go to a single sporting event. But the free concerts associated with it were really good, like "holy crap I can't believe I'm getting to see this" good.

[Chaplin]

I didn't go to any events at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, mostly because we had just moved, had no money and a new baby.  I later regretted not going to anything.

I really regret not going to any events at the Vancouver Olympics. I live in the area and know all the venues, but the Olympics coincided with probably the worst two months of my working career. I was transitioning between two positions within my company so I was doing both, which amounted to 12 hours of work, plus I was writing my final paper for my MBA. I also had a one-year old who I already wasn't spending enough time with. In the end I took one evening just to walk through downtown to experience the absolutely amazing energy, and one weekend day with the family to walk to the Olympic torch site. I should have gone to an event anyway.

This, and Rio, has me thinking that I should try to go to Tokyo. I have a friend in the area which would help a lot with arrangements. Maybe we could work a deal where we stay with him and his famil for a few days and treat them to a couple of events.

[MoneyCat]

I am starting to lose interest in watching sports, because basically I am cheering for someone else getting exercise instead of myself. When I learned that most athletes have very low opinions of most sports fans anyway, that really made me rethink the value of spending money to support them. There are plenty of other things to be obsessive about that will actually make me money instead of costing it.

[RobFIRE]

During London 2012 I went to the cycling road race. Part of the course where the route made several loops was only about 15 minutes from where I was living at the time. I think it's a great experience to be there, particularly if it's your home country (London last held Olympics in 1948, in another 64 years if still going I'll be close to a 100 so may not have the energy to get up hills to watch cycling etc. next time!). I'm pleased I went to it.

If you attend one of the outdoor events like cycling it's free. I'm not such a fan of most of the Olympic sports that I would have wanted to pay high prices for tickets to watch an event, particularly where I wouldn't have the knowledge of the sport to appreciate the specifics. At least at London, if you want to see particular events and want to keep ticket prices much more reasonable, going to more paralympic events than main Olympic events is an option.

[marty998]

Anyone else sad that they are getting to an age where they know they will *probably* never become an olympic athlete?

Used to dream of standing on a podium... now I watch the young winners up there with cheeky grins on their faces and think, "aww how cute, good on ya kiddo".

A little part of me dies when I watch sport these days :(

[RetiredAt63]

Anyone else sad that they are getting to an age where they know they will *probably* never become an olympic athlete?

Used to dream of standing on a podium... now I watch the young winners up there with cheeky grins on their faces and think, "aww how cute, good on ya kiddo".

A little part of me dies when I watch sport these days :(

Not me, I am not coordinated enough to have ever thought about serious sports, but DD - she was so keen for soccer, and so good at it - and then she had two years of bad coaching which totally killed her desire to play soccer.  As in she would not even participate in a pick-up game.  I thought of DD while watching our young Canadian goalie.

Note- she is perfectly happy with her life as it is, and she still loves snowboarding, without competing in it, so no regrets.

[BlueHouse]

I had just bought a teeny tiny house in Atlanta for the 96 Olympics.  2 bedrooms in 1100 SF.
12 people, mostly family, but some friends of my cousin, came for a few days (some overlapping so I don't think all 12 were in the house at the same time).  I bought many tickets to trials and pre-main event things because that's all I could afford and I gave them out to anyone in the family that wanted them.  People who traveled from far away spent more money on tickets and almost always offered me one to go along.

We went to opening and closing ceremonies (I only went to opening)
Gymnastics events (not a medal event)
Baseball (awesome - USA vs. Cuba, I think)
Basketball (not a fan)
Swimming
Waterpolo
Women's soccer

It was a great time. Just so exciting to be celebrating something that everyone was happy and pumped up about.  Maybe we were just the right age, but it was magical.   We were also down at Centennial Park when the bomb went off and no, that didn't even spoil things. 

I also lived on the route of the bike race (about 50 feet from my back door to the street).  I had never before watched cycling, but because it was so close, I brought a lawn chair down to the edge of the road.  I could hear the helicopters circling overhead, so I knew each time they were coming so I could walk down to the road. 
The first time the peloton rode by, and the rush of air caused my hair to blow in the wind and the pages in my hand to rustle, I was hooked.  I had never experienced anything like that before and I'm a die-hard cycling fan now.  Lance was there (pre-cancer) sponsored by Saturn, but he was kind of a dick even then. 

[By the River]

We went to the Atlanta Olympics as well.  Stayed in a hotel well outside the city limits and saw boxing prelims, track and field, baseball (USA vs Japan) and Women's volleyball which was held in Athens.   We heard about the bombing while driving back from Athens.   You could tell security was much tighter after that night so you had to get to the events even earlier. 

I would definitely go again if driving distance.   

[HAPPYINAZ]

Some friends and I did a road trip to the Salt Lake City winter olympics about 14 years ago.  We had soooo much fun!  The olympics had a great vibe as everyone was just having a great time watching exceptional people excel at their sport.  We even found ourselves cheering for other nations at times when you could see they were underdogs.  One of my friends was in the olympics in luge years ago and so she had special passes to mingle with past olympians.  I would definitely recommend going if you ever get the chance. 

[rocketpj]

I am starting to lose interest in watching sports, because basically I am cheering for someone else getting exercise instead of myself. When I learned that most athletes have very low opinions of most sports fans anyway, that really made me rethink the value of spending money to support them. There are plenty of other things to be obsessive about that will actually make me money instead of costing it.

I hear that.  99% of my sports watching now involves one of my kids on the field/ice/diamond/mat.  And I know most of the other kids on the team as well (either by them being on a team with my kids a few times over the years, or my coaching them at some point).  I care way more when a 9 year old gets his first base hit ever than when a bazillionaire hits yet another PED home run.