SIX-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy started the one-year countdown to the 2014 Commonwealth Games as he unveiled the official ticketing guide in Glasgow.
Up to one million seats will be available across 17 sports, including cycling, athletics and swimming, with timings for individual events available for the first time.
Ticketing for the Games goes live on August 19, when fans can apply for their choice of sport. They will then have until September 16 to submit an application, with the allocation of tickets expected to be completed by early October.
Visit our Commonwealth Games site and get ticketing information
Lord Smith of Kelvin, chairman of Glasgow 2014, said organisers had drawn lessons from the ticketing debacle of the Olympic Games in London, which had brought disappointment and frustration to many members of the public.
He said: "At the Olympics, you could apply for one sport and be awarded tickets for another – that did not work. For Glasgow if you apply for swimming, for example, you either get that, or you don't.
"Secondly, if you apply for four tickets, you get that number or you don't. You don't get two tickets then have to decide who is going to stay at home. I think that is a fairer way of doing it."
More than 350,000 copies of the Glasgow 2014 Official Ticketing Guide, which includes full schedules, prices and an application form, are being distributed across Scotland through leisure centres, libraries, museums and transport hubs. It is also online at www. glasgow2014.com/tickets
Organisers have already vowed that at least 70% of all tickets will be available to the public rather than, as reiterated by Lord Smith, "hangers-on or blazers".
Prices start at £15 for all sports with half-price concessions for under-16s and over-60s. Two-thirds of all tickets are £25 or less with no booking fees. The price includes local public transport on the day of the event.
Ticket applications can be made online using debit and credit cards, and a postal application service is also available.
Lord Smith said: "We wanted tickets to be accessible so that your average person could afford it. I feel this is accessible pricing: it is what you might pay for going to the cinema or a football league match."
Having a four-week window to apply, he added, meant that no-one was excluded from the ticket application process. He said: "It doesn't matter whether you apply on August 19, September 16 or any day in between, it will be a fair draw. The idea of first-come, first-served we felt wasn't accessible. Some people aren't online and you have to allow for that."
Marking 365 days to go until the Games, cycling legend Sir Chris hosted a special "breakfast of champions" on the steps of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
The Edinburgh-born sportsman announced his retirement in April, and the track cycling events will be held at the velodrome named in his honour.
"Having that home support is a unique experience and fantastic opportunity for Scottish athletes," he said. "It's a shame I won't get to do that myself but I had a great career with three Commonwealth Games and four Olympics.
"Sadly, Glasgow was one Games too many for me but I will be here to enjoy the atmosphere as a fan, have fun and see it from the other side of the fence."
As an official Glasgow 2014 ambassador, his message to the Scottish public was "100%, you've got to come to Glasgow".
Sir Chris said: "It will pass in the blink of an eye and afterwards you will think, 'I wish I'd gone.' I know so many people who were thinking of going to London for the Olympics and didn't and who are now kicking themselves. The 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will be the same."
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