Initial worries over slow ticket sales for the 16th Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur have abated following a sharp rise in interest on the eve of the historic event being staged for the first time in Asia.
Organisers are now predicting a sell-out success and a total of more than a million spectators at the sporting carnival from September 11 to 21.
Cheapest tickets to qualifying events, costing around $40, are already in short supply - especially for athletics, swimming and gymnastics.
The costliest, at nearly $1,500 for the closing ceremony, which will be attended by Queen Elizabeth, are likely to be sold out, according to the chairman of the organisers, Hashim Mohd Ali.
'People are now having a problem finding tickets,' he said.
Having earlier feared the event might flounder in the wake of the region's economic crisis, the public enthusiasm is a relief for Malaysia, which has invested nearly $1.5 billion in infrastructure alone.