Disaster as hamster powering ticket website dies

Gerald: Earlier

Ticket sales for the 2012 British Gas Swimming Championships and Olympic Trials have been thrown into disarray after the hamster used to power the ticketing website died suddenly.

Animal rights campaigners have already accused British Swimming of overworking the hamster, named locally as Gerald, in its attempt to satisfy potential tickets buyers, but senior officials have insisted the cause of death remains unknown.

With no hamster to provide power, many have found it impossible to access the website, though specialists at theticketsellers.co.uk are looking at using a rubber band until a new rodent can be found.

So far such this crushing ticketing disappointment is only available to those who pre-registered with organisers. Further problems are expected in the coming days when all members of the public will be given the chance to sit at a computer repeatedly pressing the refresh button.

Some of those hoping to take part in the have already expressed their disappointment. Olympian Thomas Haffield told The Wobbly Block (and anyone else who follows him on twitter) that he was ‘booking tickets for Olympic trials for my family, I think it would be easier for them to train, do the qualifying times and enter it instead.’

A spokesperson for British Swimming defended the whole process saying ‘Any criticism is completely misplaced. If there’s one thing British Swimming knows about, it’s how to operate a really great website. How could we possibly anticipate the level of demand? It’s not as if we could simply add up the number of people who had pre-registered with us?’ The spokesperson then went on to add ‘Obviously our thoughts are with Gerald’s family at this difficult time.’

Colin Brown, director of London Swimming and an expert in websites, unfortunately had no comment to make.