Fans snap up Pacific Games swimming tickets to catch glimpse of retiring hero

Swimming sport tickets packages are nearly sold out as fans try to catch a glimpse of Ryan Pini's last performance on home soil ©Port Moresby

Swimming sport ticket packages for this year’s Pacific Games are “90 per cent sold out”, Port Moresby 2015 have announced.

Tickets for the events at the Games in the Papua New Guinean capital, due to take place from July 4 to July 18, have been extremely popular as it will be the last chance for spectators to see star swimmer Ryan Pini compete.

The three-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist came out of retirement at the age of 33 to participate in his home Pacific Games and fans eager to watch Pini in action on home soil for the last time can still purchase tickets from Stop N Shop stores and Post PNG Ltd’s Vision City and Waterfront outlets in the capital.

“Ryan Pini has returned from retirement purposely to compete on his home soil and it’s not surprising that everyone wants to watch Papua New Guinea’s legend compete in Papua New Guinea for the last time,” Port Moresby 2015 chief executive Peter Stewart said.

“It’s an opportunity not to be missed, and we want to encourage the public to get in quickly to get your ticket.

“Although the swimming package is just about sold out, the individual ticket to swimming is still available, but people should not wait until last minute.”

Pini competed at three Olympic Games and claimed Commonwealth Games gold in the 100 metres butterfly in Melbourne in 2006 ©Getty Images

The Organising Committee also confirmed that around half of the available tickets for the Opening Ceremony, set to be a superb spectacle that will begin what should be an intense fortnight of competition, have been snapped up.

They have attempted to make the Games as inclusive as possible, principally by ensuring spectators are not priced out of buying tickets as seats at the event start from as little as K10 (£2.50/$3.75/€3.50).

Tickets for the event, largely expected to the biggest in Papua New Guinea’s history, officially went on sale on April 3 at Bank South Pacific branches before they launched additional ticketing outlets the following week.

Around 8,000 were sold in the opening seven days of being available and Stewart has said he hopes they will largely sell out come the time of the Games.

Port Moresby 2015 have also made sure that even those fans who cannot attend the Games themselves will be able to watch the action on big screens in 10 communities across the nation, which will be supported by various acts of entertainment, as part of their “Community Celebration Site” initiative.