As they say in America, three strikes and you’re out.

In the latest round of the lottery for Tokyo 2020 Olympic tickets for residents in Japan, there were 23 million requests for tickets….chasing 1 million tickets. A 1 in 23 chance doesn’t sound horrible, but doesn’t sound likely either.

My chance to win tickets to opening and closing ceremonies disappeared at 8 am yesterday morning when the automated email hit my inbox.

The demand for tickets was incredibly high, and unfortunately, you were not awarded any of the tickets you requested in the lottery. 

This is the third time I “failed” (Tokyo 2020’s word – see picture) to win tickets.

But while I am personally sad, this overwhelming demand speaks volumes to the popularity of these games, according to The Mainichi.

Next summer’s Olympics have generated unprecedented demand. Organizers said 3.57 million tickets had been awarded to Japan residents in previous lotteries. Organizers confirmed for the first time the demand was almost 20 times over supply — about 60 million tickets requested.

Demand for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics is also very high. According to reports, there were 3 million requests for tickets at the paralympic lottery a couple of months ago, which is three times the demand of the popular 2012 London Paralympics.

At least in that case, I won the right to purchase tickets to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies.