Chinese snap up 1 million tickets in a month

Beijing organisers have received 230,000 orders for 1.09 million tickets for next year's Olympic Games in the first month of sales, according to the official website.

The most sought after tickets are for the opening ceremony on August 8, while tickets to basketball, where Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming is likely to lead the local challenge, and diving are also selling fast.

Three-quarters of the 7 million tickets that will be available to the public went on sale to domestic customers over the Internet, by telephone, and at certain branches of the Bank of China on April 15.

Prices range from 30 yuan ($3.5) for preliminary rounds of some sports to 5,000 yuan ($646) for the opening ceremony.