Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators show tickets to access the security perimeter for the opening ceremony which is displayed ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics REUTERS/Paul Childs
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -German online ticket marketplace Ticombo has filed a complaint about the International Olympic Committee to EU antitrust regulators, alleging that the IOC's ticketing rules block rival resale platforms and are anti-competitive.
Companies and athletes have increasingly turned to the EU antitrust watchdog with grievances about the power of sports-governing bodies in recent years, alleging that they abuse their dominance in breach of EU competition rules.
Ticombo said the issue is what it alleges is the IOC's exclusive monopoly over the resale of tickets for major sporting events, including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the upcoming Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
"By restricting independent resale platforms, the IOC not only limits consumer choice but also undermines the natural balance of the market," Ticombo said in a statement.
"Fans who can no longer attend an event are forced to use the IOC's exclusive resale platform, where strict conditions force tickets to be resold at face value plus a platform fee, even when demand is low," it said.
Ticombo, which said it allows ticket sales below face value, alleged that the IOC policy unfairly excludes rival resale platforms and results in inflated prices.
The European Commission, which acts as the competition enforcer in the 27-country European Union, said it had received the complaint and would assess it under its standard procedures.
The IOC said it has only seen the news in the media and would not comment on such reports.
Ticombo last year filed a similar complaint about UEFA to the commission following Euro 2024.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Jan Harvey and Mark Porter)
