The London Olympic ticket scandal is shocking!

Fourth-Place Medal

18 June 2012 at 3:34 pm

What's the biggest surprise from The Sunday Times' exclusive report (subscription required) into the seedy world of the black market for Olympic tickets?

• The Serbian Olympic officials who put 1,500 comped tickets up for sale and promised to falsify passports in order to get away with it?

[Pat Forde: With an eye on a record Olympic medal haul, Michael Phelps will enter seven events at U.S. swim trials]

• An Israeli swimmer who offered undercover reporters 22 prime tickets to the 100-meter final for more than $100,000?

• A boastful Greek official (are there any other kind?) who said he told Sebastian Coe to give him more tickets because there was high demand in Greece?

• That Coe actually believed there was high demand in Greece?

• An organizer for New York's failed Olympic bid who encouraged the reporters to engage in some fraud of their own?

• That official IOC policy allows a markup of 20 percent on tickets?

• That the IOC has threatened "strong sanctions" pending an investigation?

• This quote, from the aforementioned Serbian official as he lit a cigarette and discussed plans to sell the 1,500 seats? "You know this is not legal to do," he said. "Officially, I'm telling honestly, this is not according to rules . . . but we invest too much money and I don't care."

• Or that anyone, anywhere is surprised by any shady news that comes from the unscrupulously corrupt Olympic committees, both international and national?