Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 3, 1995                   TAG: 9505030073
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA                                LENGTH: Medium

OLYMPIC TICKET SALES START FAST

Now the hard part: How to sustain the enthusiasm?

Brochures containing the schedule and ticket order form for the 1996 Olympics were distributed in most parts of the country Monday. Atlanta area residents grabbed 894,000 booklets on the first day, officials said. Figures for outside Atlanta were not available, they said.

Laurie Olsen, a spokeswoman at the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, said ACOG had picked up about 3,000 orders at the post office early Tuesday but would not disclose the total first-day delivery.

``It's very exciting but it's what we expected in terms of a dramatic response in the beginning,'' she said.

Scott Anderson, ACOG's chief ticket official, said organizers were delighted with the initial demand for the brochures.

``The response was overwhelming. I've been accused on occasion of being relatively optimistic but yesterday exceeded even my optimistic hopes,'' Anderson said. ``What we hoped for is coming true.''

Anderson expects interest to taper off after the first few days of distributing booklets. He expects demand to pick up again in late June, near the end of a 60-day period in which applications for high-demand events will be put in a pool for random selection.

ACOG is devising marketing and advertising programs targeted at people who pick up an order form but neglect to place an order, Anderson said.

``As we get closer to the end, we'll do lots of reminders and promotions to let everyone know that June 30 is coming and why it is so important,'' he said.

Demand for the brochures is strongest in the Atlanta area, but interest apparently was picking up elsewhere Tuesday as news about the ticket sale spread.