DOHA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Five hundred thousand tickets have been sold after eight days since the opening of the Asian Games, the Doha Asian Games Organizing Committee (DAGOC) said here on Saturday.

    "We are pleased that we sold 550,000 tickets by far. We are selling 35,000 to 40,000 a day and we are expecting a speeding-up because we are coming to the finals," said Abdulla Al Khulaifi, deputy Director General, Corporate Support of the organizing committee.

    Of all the sports, Al Khulaifi said several were especially popular among the spectators.

    "The best sellers are basketball, and basketball final, bowling, equestrian, fencing, beach volleyball and diving," Al Khulaifi said.

    According to Al Khulaifi, the ticket sales for the opening ceremony was a success that the 50,000-capacity of Khalifa Stadium was filled with spectators. And he expected the closing ceremony would see as many spectators.

    "Seventy two percent of tickets for the closing ceremony were sold," he said.

    The DAGOC has made the sale of tickets for the Games quite feasible. Tickets can be bought according to the sport, venue or date at box offices of venues or authorized selling places.

    The prices of tickets ranges from QR 5 (one U.S. dollar equals to3.63 QR) to QR 20 for various sports. The ticket prices for opening and closing ceremonies are QR 500 and QR 150 respectively.

    According to the DAGOC, half of the money from the sale of tickets for the 2006 Asian Games will be donated to a charity in Qatar known as Reach Out to Asia, which targets community development projects seeking quality education in the continent.