Monday 7^th January 2002:
Massive Rush for Games tickets.

U2 and Madonna were put to shame last night when sales for Manchester’s Commonwealth Games outstripped those of their recent tours.

Almost 40,000 seats were booked in only 24 hours with the Games’ website recording over 150 hits per second at the peak. So great was the demand that the overwhelmed organisers had to draft a further 100 operators to keep up with the demand.

The Games' chief executive, Frances Done, described the response as "solid proof the nation is behind the Game" and declared that "this is going to be the most spectacular sports event the country has ever seen."

400,000 tickets went on sale on Sunday morning and we are told that many will be available up until and throughout the life of the Games.

Sunday 6th January 2002: Tickets go on sale following troubled ticket allocation.

Today the telephone and Internet hotlines open for the first time, with over 400,000 tickets still available. Following the earlier "lottery phase", in which thousands of sports fans were wrongly informed of a successful ticket allocation, it has now been announced that nearly half the allocation has been sold.

If you wish to attend any of the events, you are advised by Manchester 2002's commercial director to "act quickly". Apparently this is "already the most successful Commonwealth Games ever."

STATS:

• 750,000 tickets were initially available for the 174 events
• Approx. 100,000 will be sold for corporate hospitality and to visitors from abroad
• There will be 6 free events, all taking place outside of the Manchester stadiums - including Triathlon and Marathon at Salford Quays and the controversial shooting event at Bisley, in the South

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