Olympics-Australia says can't help in ticketing scam

By Crispian Balmer

BEIJING (Reuters) - Australia's Olympic Committee offered sympathy but no solutions on Monday to scores of Australians who have lost money in an Internet ticketing scam.

The Australian press reported that some people had been swindled out of almost $45,000 after buying tickets for various Beijing Games events from unauthorised websites.

Many of the orders were placed months ago and the deception has only just come to light after the promised tickets failed to arrive in the post.

"Our sympathy goes to them ... but we certainly aren't in a position to step in, compensate or find other tickets," Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates said.

"We warned folk to only deal with authorised ticket suppliers," he told a news conference.

Coates said that among those who had lost out were parents of some of the Australian athletes, the former opposition leader for New South Wales state and even an Olympic official.

While there was not much the committee could do, Coates said efforts were being made to "scrounge tickets" for relatives of some of the softball team who had succumbed to the scam.

"There is nothing at the moment. We are just waiting," he said.