IOC appeal from Richards after parents fall victim to ticket scam

British Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist Matt Richards has urged the International Olympic Committee to do more to help the families of competing athletes attend the Paris 2024 events after his parents lost money in a scam to online tickets.

Richards won gold at Tokyo 2020 in the 4x200m freestyle relay and could compete in six events this summer. He won individual gold in the 200m at the 2023 world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

“I think it’s crazy that when competing in the Olympics, athletes’ families have to find and finance their own tickets,” Richards posted in an Instagram story to @Olympics.

“My family and I are looking at a bill for thousands of pounds spent on tickets, just to see me swim in a few sessions this summer.

“Given that you won’t pay the athletes who participate in this event (which generates billions in revenue each year) because ‘it’s not the Olympic spirit’, don’t you think it’s time to support the families of participants, by offering them tickets to events attended by their family members?

Richards later apologized for the “rant” but said he felt it was a really important topic.

He said: “Seeing your family or friends compete in the Olympics shouldn’t be just for people who have thousands to spare, who can afford to come and watch.

“I think it’s time that (IOC President) Thomas Bach and the IOC start taking care of their athletes and not just their shareholders.”

Richard’s mother, Amanda, separately told the BBC the family had been scammed out of £2,500 (A$4,800) by a ticketing site that “seemed perfectly legitimate”.

They were unable to secure tickets during the official ballot, where only the most expensive ones, priced at 3,000 euros (A$4,800) each, were left behind when they had their turn.

“We couldn’t afford to buy tickets for all the events he swam in, but we wanted to be there for the big events, the semi-finals and finals, so we bought tickets for five events in evening,” she said of the scam.

We don’t have much savings. We simply don’t have the money to buy another round of tickets. We are devastated. I was really upset. I feel like an idiot.”