While it is still dealing with the aftermath of its infamous mismanagement of last year's Commonwealth Games, India is now facing further embarrassment as a result of a ticketing scandal for the Cricket World Cup matches currently being staged in India.
The Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's one-day international cricket, and is the world's fourth largest and most viewed sporting event.
Incredibly, Indian officials left regional cricket associations in charge of distributing tickets for their own matches. This has left the International Cricket Council, the sport's world governing body, in the odd position of not being in charge of a key part of their own event.
Indian officials relied heavily upon online sales, which is another odd decision given that most suburban and rural Indians don't have access to the internet. This resulted in long lines at various Indian cricket venues, where fans waited for days on end to purchase whatever tickets were made available for on-site sale. Prior to a match last month in Bangalore, crowd control police were caught on film beating fans on their legs and backs, provoking widespread condemnation around the world. Many fans have been turned away from the matches, leaving many wondering exactly where all the tickets have gone.
The end result is a huge level of cynicism within the ranks of regular Indian cricket fans. Many are resigned to the fact that if they really want a ticket for an important game they will have to pay exorbitant prices on the black market. Exact figures of just where all the tickets go are elusive. According to one report, thousands of tickets go to paid up members of the regional cricket associations and to the corporate world. Only about 7,000 ever went on sale to the public for the recent India versus England match, which is less than 20 per cent of the stadium capacity.
Javagal Srinath, a former test bowler and current secretary of the Karnataka (India) cricket association caused further embarrassment to the Indian organizers when he admitted that the way tickets were being sold ahead of the England v India game had not really changed from when he was trying to buy them back at the 1987 World Cup. After four years of planning for the event, Indian cricket has produced little more than confusion and disorganization for yet another world-class event.
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