Topline
Ticket prices for this weekend’s U.S. Classic—a qualifier for the national gymnastics championships—have jumped almost 150% since Simone Biles, the most decorated athlete in the history of the Gymnastics World Championships, announced she would compete for the first time since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, according to ticket reseller Vivid Seats.
Simone Biles of Team United States in action during the Women’s Balance Beam Final on day 11 of the … [+]
Key Facts
USA Gymnastics said in June Biles will compete in the single-day event in Chicago on Saturday, against Olympic hopefuls Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Sunisa Lee, the reigning all-around Olympic champion.
By the next day, ticket prices for the women’s event had jumped 98% overnight from an average of $86 to $170, ticket seller Vivid Seats said, and have only continued to climb: The average ticket price for the Classic was $213 Friday—a 148% rise.
Tickets to the men’s competition on Sunday have seemingly not been impacted by Biles’ return—entry to that event costs between $24 and $85 on Vivid Seats.
The rise makes the U.S. Classic the hottest gymnastics ticket in the last decade: Tickets to the USA Gymnastics Championship in 2021 sold for an average of $209, the second day of women’s competition in the 2021 U.S. team trials cost an average of $206, and the first day of women’s team trials that year averaged $178, according the Vivid Seats.
The U.S. Classic is the last chance for gymnasts to qualify for the national championships later this month, and the world championships in Belgium would be the next stop for athletes hoping to make the Olympic team.
Entrants to the Classic hold a cumulative 55 medals from the Olympics and world championships, 32 of which belong to Biles, the New York Times reported.
Big Number
7. That’s how many Olympic medals Biles has won since 2016.
Key Background
Biles hasn’t competed since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when she dropped out over a case of “the twisties”—a mental block that describes losing awareness of the body midair. She withdrew from team finals and did not compete in individual all-around, floor exercise, beam, uneven bars or vault. The team went on to win the silver Olympic medal, and Biles used the experience to advocate for mental health awareness in athletes. Biles participated in a USA Gymnastics training camp last month, which means she has already qualified for the national championships in California in three weeks. 26-year-old Biles is tied with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast. She won four gold medals at the Rio De Janeiro Olympics in 2016 and two medals in Tokyo—the silver team medal and a bronze in balance beam.
What We Don’t Know
Who will make the Olympic team. In addition to Biles, three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas announced last month she’ll return to gymnastics in 2024 for the first time since competing in the 2016 Olympics. If she makes it to the Olympics, 27-year-old Douglas would be the oldest woman to qualify for the U.S. gymnastics team. Others to watch include Lee, the 2020 Olympic all-around champion and uneven bars bronze medalist, Olympic floor champion Jade Carey, team silver medallist Jordan Chiles and 2022 World team members Skye Blakely, Leanne Wong and alternate Lexi Zeiss.
Further Reading
She’s Back: Simone Biles To Compete For First Time Since Walking Out Of Tokyo In 2021 (Forbes)
Nike Signs 5-Year Deal With USA Gymnastics As Simone Biles Returns Ahead Of 2024 Olympics (Forbes)
Paris 2024 Floats New Approach For Opening Ceremony Stadium (Forbes)
The World’s Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2022 (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/08/04/simone-biles-return-sends-ticket-prices-soaring-150-for-saturdays-us-classic-gymnastics-contest/