Ticketing concerns
Fennell wants glitches cleared up ahead of Carifta Games
Published:Monday | February 28, 2022 | 12:08 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Chairman of the local organising committee for the 2022 Carifta Games, Mike Fennell, is hoping that glitches to the Amber Innovations ticketing system, which the Government has mandated to be used for local sporting events, will be fully sorted out for the regional junior track and field championships, which will be staged April 16-18 at the National Stadium.
Organisers of last Saturday’s Gibson McCook Relays have pointed to the slowness of the online ticketing system as one of the reasons for the small crowd at last Saturday’s event.
The former Jamaica Olympic Association president said the matter is at the top of their agenda for today’s meeting with local authorities, and they hope to get the system fine-tuned ahead of the games.
“There are major problems with getting in spectators because the system being used to access tickets, whether it is purchased tickets or complimentary tickets, is extremely complex,” he said.
“It is a matter of great concern because several people have had great difficulty in accessing and processing various tickets. The system is extremely complex and does not work in some instances. So this is a matter that we will be discussing with the authorities, because it is quite clear that the system is not working right,” he commented.
SMOOTH ACCESS
Fennell, who has had personal experience of this, said they intend to get the answers today, so that the public can have smooth access to the games.
“When the spectators make an attempt to follow the rules, they are denied by the faulty system. We are having a meeting Monday with the authorities, and that is one of the main issues we will be discussing.
“It has happened before and people have been trying to get answers, and we want to say to the public, it is all good and this amount of spectators are allowed,” he said.
A number of participating countries have made enquiries about travelling with extra numbers, and the committee will seek answers to all these questions before they meet with participants this week.
“We are getting a large number of inquiries of others who want to come. The Bahamas wants to come with a lot of people, including a band.
“They want to know what are the arrangements and what they need to do, and whether they will be allowed in as spectators, and if they will be allowed to congregate as a band.
“The various participating countries also want to know what will be the entry requirements, what will be the situation with vaccinations, what will be the situation regarding testing, and how will we provide for the necessary actions that will have to be taken.
“So these are questions we are hoping to get answered when we meet with the authorities
“We want to finalise it by tomorrow (today) because everybody wants to complete their travel arrangements, and all the other arrangements for coming.
“We are due to go back to the associations during the course of this week, and we want to clarify these things so that they can plan their visit,” Fennell said.