Raincoats more in demand than souvenirs!

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Sydney: what is the hottest selling item at Sydney Olympics Games for the past few days? Events tickets? Souvenirs? Stamps featuring Australian gold medals winners? Fast food? Beverages? Entertainment show tickets?

Wrong. Flimsy plastic raincoats are the hottest merchandise off the block as Sydney has been hit by the dreaded Olympics-unfriendly wet weather.

In the mad, mad world of Olympics marketing, Sydney weather is playing a crucial role in determining the top selling merchandises.

There was initial buyers' surge for the Olympic pins. Rows after rows of pin sellers and traders could be seen at Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, Pitt Street and elsewhere in Central Business District displaying their tiny wares which have become an essential part of the Olympics culture.

Rows after rows of pin traders did a brisk business on the streets in a spectacularly sunny weather. Various versions of "pinman" had descended on the city and they seem to be very popular with the souvenir hunters and fellow Games pin traders.

The euphoria and uniqueness wrapped around their wares and traders' persona has faded as they ran out of their novelty and luck with the weather gods.

Sunglasses and hats were also a hit with the spectators as the weather sizzled during the first week of the competitions. For few days the franchise holders in the Olympic Games Complex saw carton after carton of sunscreen creams disappearing among the visitors and locals who wanted to get tanned and not roasted like a lobster.

At one stage those seeking respite from the Australian sun had to queue to get the skin protection cream. The cold beverages were another thing high on the agenda driven by the weather.

The Olympic sponsors of cool drinks, both alcoholic and fizzy, could not have asked for more as demand for their refreshing wares broke all records in the Homebush Bay Olympics Complex. The vast walking distances inside the complex drove the sales of the drinks to new highs.

It would also be a while before the pubs around Darling Harbour and Circular Quay do business the way did in the first sunny week of Sydney Games. The spillover of these alcoholic binges could be felt later in the evenings as few of the parties went horribly wrong ending in fisticuffs and violence.

The local administration had to cancel free open air concerts in CBD. It took the cleaning staff few days to remove the broken glass and other debris from such concert venues.

The sales were expected to hit new high when the track and field events started on last Friday. But, then, the weather turned nasty. Those who had gone to watch India's match against Korea early on Thursday had to bear the brunt of the turncoat weather and see-through plastic raincoats made their first monotonous appearance.

Organisers were again caught napping as rain belted down on Stadium Australia on Sunday night even as Australian track superstar Cathy Freeman carried the whole nation to the seventh sky. The available 70,000 raincoats reportedly sold off within a day and the organisers had to stock the honcho-like wet weather outfit again.

Spectators are left with few choices but to buy these $ 5 raingear. The organisers have banned umbrellas as they block the view.

Other expensive rainproof jackets are also selling really well. Australia's premier adventure-wear label Drizabone is also doing smashing business not only in the Olympics complex precinct but also in various CBD stores.

Going by the Bureau of Meteorological forecasts, the current Olympics merchandise hit list item would keep tasting these dizzying heights till Wednesday afternoon when the weather is expected to start returning to its sunny best.

India Abroad News Service