Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 591 Ticket Sales
As time went by, the temperature in Spain became increasingly hot, and the upcoming 1916 Madrid Olympics became the focus of attention in Spain and even all of Europe, becoming one of the main topics of daily discussion among Europeans.

Don't underestimate the influence of the Olympics. Without instigating war, the Olympics has become an important way for countries around the world to enhance their presence and compete for national prestige, and athletes are willing to fight for their country at such an important time.

The number of medals a country wins represents not only the honor of its athletes, but also the honor of the country behind them.

If an athlete performs poorly at the Olympics, not only will they become a laughing stock at the venue, but their country will also face criticism.

This is vividly demonstrated in later Olympic Games. Athletes who win for their country are easily lauded and praised in all sorts of ways.

However, if an athlete performs poorly, especially in front of athletes from countries with whom they have poor relations, even if the athlete has previously achieved good results, they will still be smeared by newspapers, the media, and people with ulterior motives.

Although public attention to the Olympics at that time was not as exaggerated as it would be in later years, the number of newspapers and media outlets from various countries that arrived in Spain during this period shows that the Olympics had indeed attracted much attention in Europe and even the world.

According to statistics from the Spanish government, between March and May 1917, the number of newspapers and media outlets from various countries that arrived in Spain reached as high as one hundred. It can be said that most of the major newspapers and media outlets in Europe had sent reporters to Spain to cover news related to the Olympic Games.

It is expected that a large number of journalists from newspapers and media outlets around the world will arrive in Spain before the start of the Olympics.

The arrival of these people in Spain will boost the country's economic growth, and their ongoing coverage of the Madrid Olympics will enhance Spain's international profile, which is good news for Spain.

June 1917, the Lerta bullring outside Madrid.

More than half a month ago, Spain had already completed the renovation of the Lerta bullring, and starting from the beginning of June, the Lerta bullring was officially opened to all athletes participating in the Olympics, ensuring that the athletes could familiarize themselves with the venue in advance.

In addition to the Lerta bullring, Spain has also built many small training grounds around the residences of national sports delegations.

If any athletes are not satisfied with these small training facilities, large sports stadiums in the city of Spain can also be provided for their use, which shows great sincerity.

Of course, although in theory these stadiums are open to all countries, in reality only sports teams from major European and American powers can enjoy them.

Ultimately, national strength is the greatest source of confidence for these athletes who have left their homeland. If their own country is not strong enough, they will have less say when competing with other countries for the right to use training facilities.

As the host country, Spain's sports delegation naturally doesn't need to compete with these visiting sports delegations from other countries for training facilities.

In order to help the Spanish sports delegation achieve good results, Carlo had long ago arranged for the Spanish government to build a training ground specifically for the Spanish sports delegation on a vacant lot outside Madrid.

Although the training facilities are not large, each Olympic sport has its own dedicated training area, ensuring that all athletes in the Spanish sports delegation have ample time to train.

It is worth mentioning that among the dozens of national sports delegations participating in the Madrid Olympics, the vast majority of athletes were white, with only a very small number of delegations from Asian and South American countries having athletes of Asian descent.

As for the Black people who frequently appear in later Olympic Games, they would absolutely not be seen in the Olympic Games of this era.

After all, most European countries do not recognize the human rights of Black people. Even in the United States, which has recognized Black people as citizens, there is still various forms of oppression and bullying against Black people domestically, making it impossible for them to be included in its sports teams.

If a sports delegation from a non-Black country includes a Black person, even if that person achieves good results, it is a disgrace to that country.

As for those Black countries, even if they wanted to participate in the Madrid Olympics in Spain, they would not receive an invitation from Spain, let alone participate in this once-every-four-years sporting event.

Carlos didn't want these Black people to take advantage of the Olympics to mix some Black people into Spain's population.

Carlo is extremely serious about this. He absolutely will not allow the Spanish population to be colored, and Spain is destined to be one of the countries that highly discriminates against black people in the future.

Such blatant discrimination against Black people, even if understood by most white people in later generations, would still be condemned by the public.

However, in 1917, just after the end of the World War, it was perfectly normal for European countries to express discriminatory attitudes towards Black people.

Racism is rampant in this era. Even the United States, with its large Black population, is not immune to racism, let alone Europe, where the white population makes up the vast majority.

During World War II, France mobilized a large number of colonial troops, almost all of whom were Black. It can be said that Black people contributed significantly to France's victory, but how did the French government repay them?

The war had barely ended when the French government launched a plan to expel Black people. These Black soldiers' wartime contributions would not be recognized, and they would receive no form of compensation or relief.

Neither Black soldiers who died in battle nor those wounded in the World Wars could obtain French citizenship.

French women who had relations with Black soldiers during the World Wars, and their children, would also face discrimination.

Under such severe racial discrimination, Black people have no way to survive in France or even throughout Europe. Spain's blatant discrimination against Black people naturally does not arouse any objection from other white people in Europe.

After all, that's what everyone does. In this era, it's politically correct to discriminate against Black people. Most people have only just escaped poverty, so they naturally have no interest in sympathizing with people of races they have no relation to.

The 1916 Madrid Olympics were expected to begin in mid-June, last for about a month and a half, and the closing ceremony would be held at the end of July.

Because it was already close to mid-June, the Spanish government began rehearsals for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on June 4, 1916.

Meanwhile, tickets for the Olympics also went on sale. The Spanish sports authorities and the International Olympic Committee developed a detailed schedule of competition days to ensure that the public could choose to purchase tickets on days with their preferred matches based on the available schedules.

It is worth mentioning that although the competition venues are divided into different competition areas, different types of competitions also have different types of tickets.

However, the Spanish authorities do not actually prevent ticket holders from going to other venues to watch other matches after watching their chosen game.

In other words, if you buy a ticket for a particular match on a given day, you can watch all the matches on that day.

For matches with tickets, there are seats closer to the front; for matches without tickets, you have to stand further away, and most likely there are no seats available, so you have to stand and watch.

Although this is a hidden perk, it is no longer a secret because the ticket description did not include a mandatory clearing mechanism.

The public is quite willing to accept such benefits.

After all, this is good news for people who love watching sports, as they can watch all the games of the day by purchasing a ticket to one game.

It was precisely because of these benefits that the sale of tickets for the Madrid Olympics was extremely hot. Tickets for the first few days, including the opening ceremony, sold out within a few days of going on sale. Many foreign tourists even began to ask the Spanish government to sell more tickets because they had traveled a long way but failed to get tickets for the Olympic Games.

The Spanish government needs to take the opinions of these foreign tourists seriously.

After all, with the continuous evolution of transportation, tourism is no longer a novelty for people in European countries.

Tourism revenue in European countries will continue to rise over time. Thanks to this Olympics, Spain will significantly increase its international profile, and is destined to see a large influx of foreign tourists in the future.

Improving foreign tourists' perception of Spain would greatly benefit Spain's tourism industry in the future.

Moreover, favoring foreign tourists to some extent in ticket sales is not a big deal for the Spanish government.

After discussions between the Spanish sports authorities and the International Olympic Committee, a solution was quickly found.

Firstly, about a quarter of the tickets for the Olympic Games will be reserved specifically for foreign tourists who have traveled from afar.

The remaining three-quarters of the tickets were snapped up by both foreign tourists and local Spaniards, since Spaniards make up the majority of ticket buyers, which is considered fair.

For foreign tourists who are unable to purchase tickets, the Spanish sports authorities can also increase the number of tickets available to allow them to watch the sporting events from a more distant location.

These foreign tourists have come from afar, which shows their sincerity. Given their love for sports, Spain is naturally happy to lend a helping hand.

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(End of this chapter)