RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The taekwondo competition at the Rio Games on Thursday morning was sold out. Not a single seat was left for grabs at the 10,000-capacity arena, where fans spent between $21 and $43 to gain access.
But the arena never totally filled.
The crowds, or lack thereof, will unquestionably be part of the legacy of these first Olympics in South America, where some events were raucous and others seemed downright sleepy. Despite organizers insisting that most tickets were sold, it wasn't uncommon to see Usain Bolt running in an arena that had perhaps more empty blue chairs than fans — even after he took to Twitter with a video urging people to buy tickets.