On June 20, millions of Japanese residents woke up disappointed to unsuccessful bids. Were you not one of the lucky 960,000 who won tickets to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games? Don’t fret, the organisers will be opening a second chance lottery starting Friday August 8. Sorry newbies and previous winners, this lottery is only open to those who participated and did not win in the first lottery. Did you win in the previous round but didn't get around to finishing the purchase order? Sorry, you're out too.
The lottery will open in the early morning of Thursday August 8 and close at 11.59am on Monday August 19. However, you'll have to wait until September 11 to hear the results. More details, including specific times, will be updated on the official website.
For this round of the ticket lottery, you can only apply for one session. A session refers to the event, date and time and the type and number of seats. There is also a second-choice option for a different event. Also, you can only apply for up to four tickets for a medal event and six for a qualifying round. Do keep in mind that beach volleyball, hockey, soccer and basketball will have the most sessions offered.
Previously, 5.12 million Japanese residents applied in the first-round lottery. This second-chance lottery has around 680,000 tickets available. Don't confuse this with the second-phase lottery, which will be held in autumn and open to those who have not entered the first round and second-chance round. After the second phase lottery, the remaining tickets will be sold first-come, first-served in Tokyo come spring 2020.
Ticket sales have soared compared to previous Olympic games, as reported in The Asahi Shimbun. TicketManager's chief operating manager Ken Hanscom even claims that Tokyo 2020 might 'possibly be one of the most popular events of all time'.
So set a reminder and have a second crack at the lottery on the official ticketing website. Good luck! For comprehensive instructions on how to apply for the second-chance lottery, check out the official guide.
Don't live in Japan?
Non-Japanese residents can only purchase tickets from authorised ticket resellers (ATR). Every country has different purchasing dates so be sure to scroll thoroughly. Don’t see your home country? Be sure to check often, as the website is still being updated with eligible participating countries.
Keep up to date with Tokyo 2020 on the official website.