200,000 to watch Games in Bolton

With just 150 days to go before the long-awaited Commonwealth Games finally gets underway, the crowds flooding to watch the Bolton events look set to swell to nearly a quarter of a million

The region will play a major role in Manchester 2002, which kicks-off on July 25, with four major events staged in the Bolton area set for a sell-out.

All the badminton action will be held at the new Bolton Arena, while Rivington will play host to three cycling disciplines - road race, time trials and mountain biking, which makes its Games debut this time around.

And Bolton's Commonwealth Games co-ordinator, Ged Kelly, says about 200,000 spectators are expected to turn out to watch all the live action unfold.

"It's probably unfair to compare us with the likes of Rochdale or Bury because we have been blessed with four major events but I would expect Bolton to attract more fans than most other hosting towns this summer," he said.

"All the finals have sold out for the badminton and we've already sold around 85 per cent of tickets for the heats, so those should be snapped up pretty soon too, taking us to around 100,000 spectators over the whole fortnight.

"The cycling events are free, which is a tremendous coup and we can anticipate crowds of up to 50,000 spectators at some of those events.

"They give an extra dimension of accessibility when you consider that some people might be disappointed to miss out on tickets for the badminton.

"The road race will probably attract around 50,000 people, the mountain biking around 30,000 and the time trials around 20,000.

"So, when you add that to the badminton attendance figures, you're looking at around 200,000 people to witness live international sport in Bolton. That's something to be very proud of and shows what a major role we are going to play in Manchester 2002."

To apply for tickets for the remaining badminton sessions at the Bolton Arena and other sports, click HERE