2.5 lakh tickets sold: OC

There's finally some good news for the OC of the Commonwealth Games 2010. Sources say ticket sales over the past weeks have been brisk, with sales breaching the 2.5 lakh mark. In fact, the tickets worth Rs 1,000 have been sold out in this phase of sale, added officials.

Said a senior OC official, ''The response has been very good. We have sold over 2 lakh tickets till date. We expect to sell more as the Games get nearer. The good news for the OC is that apart from the Rs 1,000 tickets, the others priced at Rs 5,000 are also getting sold now.'' The OC had generated the maximum amount of sales from the cheapest tickets, till now. The official further said, ''The other tickets too are finding takers. We have also got orders for bulk booking. The maximum orders placed have been by Coca Cola, which is also an official sponsor of the Delhi Games. Tickets worth Rs 89 lakh have been ordered by the Coca Cola company.''

Predictably, most interest has been shown in the opening and closing ceremony, though officials say tickets for the hockey matches, especially that of the India- Pakistan match, has also generated a lot of interest and sale. The other sports events that are also selling tickets are athletics and gymnastics, added officials.

While sales may have gone up, it's still a long wait for the OC to meet its target — of selling 17 lakh tickets. OC officials though claim that ticket sales will go up once the mega sports event takes off, as many spectators are expected to buy tickets from venues on the big day.