BEIJING, Aug 28: The opening ceremony for next year’s Beijing Olympics was the most sought-after event in a hugely popular first phase of ticket sales, but not all sports were in high demand, the organisers said on Tuesday.

Only China residents were eligible to submit applications for the first phase of sales which ended June 30 and they snapped up nearly 1.6 million of a total 2.2 million tickets on offer, according to the Games organisers BOCOG.

The 72 percent sales rate was not considered disappointing, a BOCOG official said, noting more than five million applications were received, a great many competing for the same tickets. “Most applications were for the opening and closing ceremonies and event finals, whereas for preliminary competitions the applications were fewer,” said the official—AFP