LONDON -- What if they held an Olympics and nobody came? The situation isnt that bleak, of course, for the Sochi Games. Milwaukee Bucks Pro Shop . Yet, with less than three weeks to go until the opening ceremony, hundreds of thousands of tickets remain unsold, raising the prospect of empty seats and a lack of atmosphere at Russias first Winter Olympics. There are signs that many foreign fans are staying away, turned off by terrorist threats, expensive flights and hotels, long travel distances, a shortage of tourist attractions in the area, and the hassle of obtaining visas and spectator passes. "Some people are scared it costs too much and other people are scared because of security," senior International Olympic Committee member Gerhard Heiberg of Norway told The Associated Press. "From my country, I know that several people and companies are not going for these two reasons. Of course, there will be Norwegians there but not as many as we are used to." Sochi organizers announced last week that 70 per cent of tickets have been sold for the games, which run from Feb. 7-23 and represent a symbol of pride and prestige for Russia and President Vladimir Putin. So what about the remaining 30 per cent? "We are keeping a special quota for those who come for the games, so that they can indeed buy tickets for the competitions," organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said. Chernyshenko said about 213,000 spectators are expected at the games, with about 75 per cent likely to be Russians. "Tickets are being snapped up fast with the most popular events being hockey, biathlon, figure skating, freestyle and snowboard," the organizing committee said in a statement to the AP. "With 70 per cent of tickets already sold and another ticketing office opening shortly, we are expecting strong last-minute ticket sales and do not envisage having empty seats." Sochi officials have refused to divulge how many tickets in total were put up for sale, saying the figure would only be released after the games. However, according to IOC marketing documents seen by the AP, Sochi had a total of 1.1 million tickets on offer. That would mean about 300,000 tickets remained available. By comparison, 1.54 million tickets were available for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and 97 per cent (1.49 million) were sold. For the 2012 Summer Games in London, organizers sold 97 per cent (8.2 million) of their 8.5 million tickets. Heiberg, who chairs the IOC marketing commission, said the Russians have cut down by 50 per cent on the number of spectators originally planned for the mountain events for security reasons. "That means there will be less people and probably less enthusiasm than we had, for instance, in Lillehammer," he said. "I hope the Russians will fill not only their indoor stadiums but there will be enough people in the stadiums for the Nordic events." Heiberg organized the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, which stood out for the colorful atmosphere generated by passionate Norwegian fans. Sochis ticket sales began in February 2013, a year before the games. Tickets have been sold on Sochis official website on a first-come, first-served basis. Box offices are now open in Moscow and Sochi. The cheapest tickets go for 500 rubles ($15), the most expensive for 40,000 rubles ($1,200). More than half of all tickets cost less than 5,000 rubles ($150). The average monthly salary in Russia is 30,000 rubles ($890). The one and only authorized ticket office in Sochi was busy on a recent afternoon, with three dozen people lining up at what once was a waiting room at the citys railway station. Many, however, complained that all the cheap tickets were already gone. "Prices leave much to be desired, but what can you can do?" said Sochi resident Yana Ivolovskaya, who bought two tickets for bobsled for 2,000 rubles ($60). "Were not going to get another Olympics in Sochi so I thought I should go." Fans outside Russia buy tickets from authorized dealers appointed by their national Olympic committees. Attracting foreign visitors has been a challenge amid all the headlines about Russias law banning gay "propaganda," human rights issues and -- particularly -- the risk of terrorism. Back-to-back suicide bombings killed 34 people last month in Volgograd, about 400 miles (640 kilometres) from Sochi. On Sunday, an Islamic militant group in Russias North Caucasus claimed responsibility for the bombings and posted a video threatening to strike the Sochi Games. CoSport, the official ticket reseller in the United States and six other countries, said the Sochi Games generated "good demand" for tickets and packages. "We experienced demand at expected levels," spokesman Michael Kontos said, without giving figures. Flights to Sochi are expensive, and most international travellers have to go through Moscow, with direct flights to Sochi only available from Germany and Turkey. Western travellers must navigate the time-consuming visa process and requirement to obtain a "spectator pass" along with their tickets. This requires providing passport details that allow authorities to screen all visitors. "What we are hearing is that the bureaucratic complexity, with spectator passes and visa and so on, is what scares off fans, more than worries about security," Austrian Olympic Committee spokesman Wolfgang Eichler said. Jan Serenander, managing director of Jet Set Sports in Norway, cited a lack of tourist attractions in the Black Sea resort. "When Sochi was announced no one had even heard of the place," he said. "They had to get out their atlases." Die-hard winter sports fans, however, will not be discouraged. Orange-clad speedskating fans from the Netherlands are always among the most visible spectators at any Winter Games. "I expect it to be orange," Jeroen de Roever, manager of official Duch ticket seller ATPI, said of Sochis speedskating venue. "We have been sold out for quite a while." Fake Bucks Jerseys . -- Conor Casey scored two goals, his first of the season, as the Philadelphia Union beat Chivas USA 3-0 on Saturday night. Bucks Jerseys China . Hemsky left the Oilers Tuesday night loss to the Dallas Stars in the second period and did not return. Through 48 games this season, Hemsky has seven goals and a total of 24 points. https://www.cheapbucksonline.com/ . Head of clinic Josef Obrist tells the Austria Press Agency on Thursday that Morgenstern "is doing surprisingly well. ... He still has a memory gap but thats nothing unusual." Morgenstern has moved to a rehabilitation clinic in Klagenfurt for further recovery.Dominating pitching continues to be the story for the Detroit Tigers as they aim for a three-game sweep against the Boston Red Sox tonight at Fenway Park. Watch the game live on TSN2 and TSN GO at 8pm et/5pm pt. Winners of five in a row and six of the last seven, the Tigers have surrendered a total of just eight runs during the current win streak, thanks in part to a commanding 6-1 victory on Saturday. While he may not get as much press as Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello continued his strong start by picking up his seventh win in eight decisions. Porcello gave up just a single run on six hits and a walk, striking our four over the course of eight innings as he lowered his ERA to 2.91. Thanks to the positive effort, Detroit continues to sport the best winning percentage (.684) in the majors and is 6 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota for first place in the American League Central. "Its May," Porcello said after his performance. "Ive said before, this is a marathon, its not a sprint. ... The most important thing to me right now is that were in first place and were playing good ball. Thats huge. We want to keep that going." From an offensive standpoint, the Tigers picked up support from Miguel Cabrera who finished with three hits and two RBI, while Victor Martinez added a pair of hits and scored once. Over on the other side, Mike Napoli tallied three singles in four trips to the plate for a Boston squad which is fourth in the AL East, 2 1/2 games off the pace set by Baltimore and New York. Xander Bogaerts pitched in with another two hits at the bottom of the order. His solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning accounted for the lone run of the contest for the Sox. John Lackey sufferred his third loss of the season after giving up five earned runs on nine hits and a couple of walks over 5 1/3 innings. Wholesale Bucks Jerseys. "Theyre deep all the way through the lineup," Lackey said of the visitors. "Theyre pretty good." Detroit hitters are currently first in the AL in batting at .275, coming in second in slugging (.421), which combines well with the fact that the pitching staff is second in the league with a combined 3.19 ERA. Sundays slate of games culminates with Anibal Sanchez taking the hill for the Tigers and Jake Peavy facing off against the Detroit lineup. Peavy, a right-hander from Alabama, has appeared in eight games in 2014 but has just a 1-1 mark to show for his efforts. Earlier this week the hurler lasted just 4 1/3 innings against Minnesota on the road, giving up six runs on nine hits and a pair of walks as the Sox suffered an 8-6 setback. Sporting a career mark of 4-5 with a 4.83 ERA in 12 all-time appearances against Detroit, Peavy lasted only three innings in his most recent matchup versus the Tigers, allowing seven runs on five hits and three walks. Over on the other side, Sanchez is still searching for his first win of the campaign. The right-hander has been on the shelf for several weeks, last pitching against Minnesota on April 26 when he lasted a mere 2 2/3 innings in what turned into a 5-3 setback on the road. A member of the Miami staff for the bulk of his career, Sanchez has yet to register a decision versus Boston. Detroit, which edged the Red Sox in the season series last year by a 4-3 count, is now ahead this time around at 2-0. Overall, the Tigers are off to their best start since 1984, thanks in part to a 10-game road win streak which is their longest in three decades. ' ' '