Follow us
A man claiming to work for the ministry of Azerbaijan has sold a "complimentary" 2012 ticket to an undercover Sky News reporter.
At London's Excel centre, and just a few yards from police, the man was offering tickets for the men's flyweight boxing event on August 3.
The ticket we purchased for £20 had "Azerbaijan Olympic Committee" printed on the front. The seller did not speak English but his friend translated his claim he had already sold several of the tickets.
"The ministry of Azerbaijan gave them to him. There is no way these tickets are forged. If you see anybody with (an) Azerbaijan flag, go to them because probably they will have spare tickets as well.
"Those people work in the ministry of Azerbaijan and the ministry gave them these tickets to come here and support their teams.
"But these people don't give a f***. They're just selling and making money, simple as that."
A few yards away a man from China was selling tickets above face value for the judo event. They were sold within minutes for £100.
Any tickets purchased from anywhere other than official channels become instantly void and purchasers risk losing their money as well as missing out on the event.
Joy Lambert and her daughter Brianna bought some equestrian tickets online at their home in Florida for £3,000. But a few months later she realised the tickets did not exist.
"I received confirmation of the purchase and a password and username so I could print our tickets," she said.
"Just before we left the US I went to the site to print them but the site was gone."
It is illegal to re-sell venue tickets. Although there have always been by-laws to frustrate the activities of touts, tougher legislation was introduced in 2006 for the Olympics.
Anyone convicted of touting or selling tickets now faces a fine of £20,000 and a maximum sentence of six months in prison.
The Metropolitan Police have arrested 29 people since the start of the Games for re-selling Olympic tickets.
But some sellers have insisted they were unaware of Britain's touting laws and there is no evidence the sellers we met knew they were committing an offence.
Wolfgang Menzel was arrested after police discovered him at Stratford Park selling tickets to the opening ceremony for £1,100.
Thirty one tickets were found in his pockets and another 20 discovered after police searched his hotel room.
But Menzel, 57, insisted he was simply a sports fan who got carried away and purchased too many tickets.
Defending him in court, Nicole Lody said: "He wasn't aware he couldn't sell them in the UK because in Germany tickets are advertised widely on the internet and eBay.
"He has suffered a significant loss as all his tickets have been seized. He is clearly very remorseful and embarrassed that he is in court today."
Sky News made several attempts to contact The Azerbaijan Olympic Committee but no-one was available for a comment.
