A week after going on sale, 16,000 out of 1.7 million tickets have so far been sold for the Commonwealth Games, which open in New Delhi on October 3, organisers have announced.

Most of the tickets have been sold for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, including the first batch of the cheapest priced at 1,000 rupees (£14/$21).

Tickets hockey, gymnastics, tennis and athletics are also proving popular for the Games, which last until October 14.

More than half of the tickets sold so far have been purchased through the official Commonwealth Games website with others being bought from outlets at Central Bank of India and Hero Honda.

"The response has been good so far and we have sold more than 16,000 tickets," said Lalit Bhanot, a spokesman for Delhi 2010.

"Most of these have been sold for events like hockey, gymnastics, tennis and athletics, besides the Opening and the Closing Ceremonies."

Games tickets promise that the holder can travel free of charge by Delhi Metro trains and DTC buses to reach and return from the venue on the day of the event for which they hold a ticket.

Article courtesy of Insidethegames.biz