Used tickets from the Olympics have become a much sought-after item among Chinese collectors since the Games began.

On popular Chinese collectors' websites, an ordinary used ticket for track and field was going for about 50 yuan (US$7.3) while tickets to popular fixtures such as the China-US basketball preliminary were going for some 300 yuan.

When China met the United States on the basketball court in Wukesong Sports Center on Aug. 10, many Chinese collectors queued up to buy tickets from spectators leaving the stadium. Many of these tickets will find their way into a growing online market for Olympic souvenirs.

On Internet bulletin boards, offers to buy used tickets significantly outnumbered offers to sell. "A ticket to the opening ceremony might bring its owner thousands of yuan," said Market News on Tuesday.

Xu Jian, president of China Collection magazine, said it would be virtually impossible to have a complete Olympics ticket collection. He advised collectors to focus on tickets that are likely to grow in value, such as those to the opening ceremony.

Cao Xuetao, owner of an online store at Taobao.com, said ticket owners were reluctant to sell at the moment because they hoped prices would continue to rise.

He suggested collectors to be patient and said the tickets were not a good bet for short-term speculation but should be seen as a long-term investment.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2008)