How to Buy Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tickets For Japan Residents

Tickets for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are now available via lottery application.

The lottery application process for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic tickets started on the 9th of May and will finish on the 28th of May. The application will only be available for the residents of Japan, on the Tokyo 2020 Official Ticket website.

Unfortunately, overseas residents won’t be eligible to buy tickets from the official website, and would instead need to purchase them from their country’s designated authorized ticket resellers. You can see a list here.

Don’t stress if you haven’t submitted as soon as the application period started! As long as you submit your application anytime during the period from May 9th to May 28th, you will be entered in the lottery. The time and date of your application submission during the lottery period has no effect on your chances of winning a ticket.

Before entering the lottery

Before you can enter the lottery you will first need to register for a Tokyo 2020 ID.

To register, go to: https://id.tokyo2020.org/oidc/login.html

Submit your:

• email address
• password
• your name
• gender
• date of birth
• home address
• domestic phone number (after completing the signup, you will receive a verification phone call at the number you registered)

During the lottery application period (May 9th-May 28th), you can add, change, and cancel your application details but not afterward. Note that obtaining multiple IDs in order to enter the lottery is prohibited.

Applying for the lottery

You will first need to login to the Tokyo 2020 Official Ticket website with your Tokyo 2020 ID. (You may have to wait in an online queue during peak times.)

Select which competition(s) you want to see by:

• session (this is a specific competition, date, and time)
• ticket lineup
• seat category
• the number of tickets

You’ll be able to search through 33 sports and 339 disciplines tickets by date, sports/discipline, and area/venue.

You can choose from three types of tickets:

• general ticket
• wheelchair/companion ticket
• group ticket

There are a maximum of five seat categories (A to E), with “A” being the best seat category i.e. closest to the action.

How many tickets can I apply for and get?

• You can win the right to purchase a maximum of 30 tickets
• You can apply for between 2 to 8 tickets per session

Check out the official Tokyo 2020 Olympic Ticket Guidelines PDF that explains how many tickets you can apply for.

How can I maximize my chances of winning the ticket lottery?

Expect heavy site traffic at the beginning and end of the application period.

As explained in the intro, although the dates of when you apply during the application period have no effect on your chances of winning in the lottery, the official lottery application site is expected to experience very heavy traffic immediately after the application period starts on May 9th and immediately before it closes on May 28th.

There are two ways to help you maximize your chances of winning the right to purchase tickets.

1. Cascade Service

Just in case you don’t win the lottery for your first choice ticket category, the cascade service will automatically enter you into the lottery for a ticket that is one seat category lower than the one that they have originally applied for. So, if you entered the lottery for a “C” seat for an event and don’t win it, you’ll automatically be entered into the lottery for a “D” seat for the same session. However, the cascade service will only be applied if there are unsold tickets in the lower category.

If you want to use the cascade service, you must make sure to request it at the beginning of the application process.

2. Apply for 2nd choice

With this service, again, just in case you don’t win the lottery for your first choice ticket category, you will be able to choose a backup or second choice ticket. Unlike the cascade service, this option allows you to specify what your backup session may be, however, the second choice cannot be from the same session.

So, if your first choice session was a ticket to the Swimming on 7/27 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., your second choice cannot be the exact same session in a different seat category. You will need to choose a session with a different competition, date, or time.

On the confirmation page for the lottery application, you’ll see your application details and the total amount you will have to pay, once the results are announced. You are required to purchase all winning tickets.

When will I find out if I got tickets?

Lottery results announcement: June 20th.

Check the email you registered with on June 20th; that is where your lottery results will be sent. Or, check the “My Ticket” link on the official Tokyo 2020 Olympic ticketing site.

Payment is accepted in cash or by Visa card. However, the cash payment limit is only up to ¥300,000 (including tax). For purchases above ¥300,000, payments can only be made by Visa card.

All ticket payments must be made by July 2nd.

You must submit the name and contact information for each ticket user. You can change the ticket user information up to the day of the match in the purchase history section of “My Ticket.” The ticket purchaser must be able to contact all ticket users. Only those who are registered as ticket users can enter the venue.

You can choose to receive tickets on your mobile phone, print them at home, or get them physically.

Ticket rules

• You should only purchase tickets from the official Tokyo 2020 Olympic Ticket site
• Tickets purchased through an unofficial service cannot be used to enter the venue
• Re-selling of Tokyo 2020 tickets is strictly prohibited by law

Ticker user identification

To prevent illegal reselling of tickets, ticket users are required to submit their personal information before using the ticket. If the ticket user changes, please change the information in “My Ticket.” The name of the original purchaser will be written on the ticket.

Ticket users may be asked to present their ID before entering the venue and/or inside the venue. Ticket users must bring their personal IDs with a photo.

You may also be asked to confirm the original purchaser’s contact information.

For Tokyo 2020 Group tickets of the ceremonies, the organizers require ID confirmation for all members of the group, and all members of the group must be present when entering the venue.

Official ticket resale service

If you become unable to use your ticket(s) the official ticketing guidelines will allow you to re-sell your tickets starting in the spring of 2020 through the official ticket resale service.

The process and rules for re-selling tickets will be announced when they are decided.

If you are successful in re-selling your tickets, you will be charged a reseller handling fee.

What if I don’t get tickets in the lottery?

Even if you don’t win the lottery and the right to purchase tickets, you can still try to get tickets during the official first-come, first-served ticket sales. These will start in the fall of 2019 for anyone who did not enter or did not win the right to purchase a ticket in the ticket lottery.

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