If it’s good enough for the Academy Awards, it’s good enough for the London Olympics.
Prime, but empty, seats at Olympic events will be filled by volunteer troops, teachers and students to save organizers from embarrassing, high-roller no-shows, officials said yesterday.
As the Games got under way over the weekend, TV cameras caught rows and rows of empty seats, often in the most choice viewing spots.
Many of the unused seats had been given to corporate sponsors who didn’t bother to show up and take in the preliminary action.
‘‘It is obvious some of those seats are not being used in the early rounds,’’ said organizing chief Sebastian Coe.
“We take it seriously. I don’t want to see those seats empty.”
Coe refused to name sponsors who might not have used their tickets, but promised that deserving seat fillers will help pack Olympic venues.
Empty seats were spotted at some swimming, gymnastics, tennis, equestrian and volleyball events.
“It is disappointing for the athletes because they want to perform in front of full houses,” said Daley Thompson, Britain’s decathlon legend. “I think in a lot of sports, they don’t get full houses, and this is a brilliant opportunity for them.”
The empty-seat problem was also evident in Beijing four years ago.
Major US sponsors Visa and Coca-Cola both said that many of their freebies went to winners of promotional contests and thus they have no control over which events those fans choose to attend.
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