Australian families of Olympic athletes are complaining that they cannot get tickets or book accommodation to see their family members compete in the Olympic Games.

Alexis Mactier, mother of track-cycling gold-medal contender Katie said, “”We just can’t get any answers and frankly it’s not looking like we’ll get to Beijing to watch Katie compete and that would be devastating.”

“It is now been months of trying and we are getting nowhere. There are no tickets, let alone rooms, in Beijing and my husband has been ill and just wants to be there. He will be shattered if we cannot get tickets and accommodation.”

The Australian Olympic Committee has said they will be providing Olympic tickets to immediate family members, but they will still have to find accommodation in Beijing themselves.

Most of the hotels I made inquiries at recently were fully booked. One hotel told me they were fully booked, but still had not determined the final price of the rooms yet.

There does seem to be a large degree of uncertainty with regards to getting accommodation here in Beijing with companies trying to make as much money as they can from the games. My advice would be to email or call as many hotels in Beijing directly.

Read more: Ticket woe for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games families