Planning to take a newborn to Olympics – well think again….
2012 organiser Locog has said every child, including babies carried in their parents’ arms, must have a ticket.
According to the London Evening Standard, a press spokesman said the Olympics helpline had received calls from pregnant women and expectant fathers whose babies will be a few weeks old when the Games start. They have been told they can try to buy an extra ticket for their chosen event otherwise the infant will be excluded.
Locog risks appearing anti-babies compared with other organisations. It is common practice for airlines and train companies to allow babies to travel free of charge as long as they sit on their parents’ lap.
The issue has attracted fury on the Mumsnet website. One woman said: “The whole thing is ridiculous, there are people who bought tickets before their babies were even conceived – how are they supposed to know to buy a ticket for a child that doesn’t exist yet?”
And an expectant mother wrote: “There are no children’s tickets for the horse jumping so I have to pay £95 to have a three-month-old in a sling!!!”
Another woman accused the organisers of discrimination: “It is generally accepted that a new baby is an adjunct of its mother, especially if breastfeeding.”
