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SKY NEWS REPORTS AZERBAIJANI GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SOLD BLACK MARKET OLYMPIC TICKETS
TURAN
LONDON. August 1, 2012: The British TV channel Sky News broadcaseted
a hidden camera report showing a few persons who were representing
themselves as the Azerbaijani government officials and selling tickets
to Olympic events in front of the Olympic Excel Center in London.
Selling black market Olympic tickets is illegal in Britain. The
Azerbaijani government, despite the video-report backing up the news
report, denies any involvement in those sales.
"I myself buy tickets at 125 pounds and pass them to official
representatives of Azerbaijan. In the last week, that is, from the
start of the Olympics, I spent £ 2,000 on tickets, the checks are with
me," the head of the Olympic delegation of Azerbaijan Ilham Madatov
told BBC. "No one can have as many tickets as reported in the news,"
he stressed.
The Sky News report, stated a person sold the tickets with an
Azerbaijani flag with the words, Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan,
was thrown over the person's shoulders. Ilham Madatov refuted this
information and emphasized, "Such allegations are not true."
The report said a man, who introduced himself as an employee of some
unnamed Azerbaijani ministry, sold "free" tickets on the black market.
The tickets were for boxing events in the light weight category for
August 3.
Madatov did not rule out that the man featured by Sky News, whose
face was blurred, could be a tourist from Baku who arrived in London
on a so-called "Olympic tourism package" (Turan).
TURAN
LONDON. August 1, 2012: The British TV channel Sky News broadcaseted
a hidden camera report showing a few persons who were representing
themselves as the Azerbaijani government officials and selling tickets
to Olympic events in front of the Olympic Excel Center in London.
Selling black market Olympic tickets is illegal in Britain. The
Azerbaijani government, despite the video-report backing up the news
report, denies any involvement in those sales.
"I myself buy tickets at 125 pounds and pass them to official
representatives of Azerbaijan. In the last week, that is, from the
start of the Olympics, I spent £ 2,000 on tickets, the checks are with
me," the head of the Olympic delegation of Azerbaijan Ilham Madatov
told BBC. "No one can have as many tickets as reported in the news,"
he stressed.
The Sky News report, stated a person sold the tickets with an
Azerbaijani flag with the words, Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan,
was thrown over the person's shoulders. Ilham Madatov refuted this
information and emphasized, "Such allegations are not true."
The report said a man, who introduced himself as an employee of some
unnamed Azerbaijani ministry, sold "free" tickets on the black market.
The tickets were for boxing events in the light weight category for
August 3.
Madatov did not rule out that the man featured by Sky News, whose
face was blurred, could be a tourist from Baku who arrived in London
on a so-called "Olympic tourism package" (Turan).