Canceled Olympics tickets may end up costing foreign spectators big
![Tokyo Olympics logo.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/E3XZgp4sbvaWaWmj3E3mAg-415-80.jpg)
Foreign spectators will get money back on their canceled Tokyo Olympics tickets, but whether they'll be reimbursed for the full price they paid remains to be seen, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The Tokyo organizers remain in a standoff with authorized third-party ticket resellers over who should bear the costs of service fees — extra charges on ticket purchases to account for things like currency conversion and credit card fees — paid by foreign spectators who are now barred from attending the Games because of COVID-19 restrictions. The resellers want the organizers to repay the full amount, while the organizers say they'll only refund the face value of the tickets.
Alan Dizdarevic, the CEO of U.S. reseller CoSport, which added a 20 percent service fee, said "there's nothing to give back of the 20 percent, because it's all been spent. There was no profit."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
So, as things stand, the purchasers will have to take a hit. For example, an American who spent $1,514 for a pair of tickets to swimming medal events, the face value-only refund was $1,397, a loss of $117, the Journal reports. On its own, that doesn't seem unreasonable for an individual who could afford those tickets in the first place, but when considering that 68,000 Americans (and around 600,000 foreigners total) purchased tickets to the Games, the aggregate consumer loss would be quite high if the hosts and the reseller can't come to some form of agreement.
It's also unclear what will happen to folks who booked hotels. So far, there's no indication Japanese officials are planning to intervene and insist hotels issue refunds for canceled stays, the Journal reports. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Today's political cartoons - September 7, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - football widows, meddling kids, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Smoking ban: the return of the nanny state?
Talking Point Starmer's plan to revive Sunak-era war on tobacco has struck an unsettling chord even with some non-smokers
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: September 7, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published