Demand for Olympics tickets overloads booking system

The second batch of tickets to the 2008 Olympics went on sale Tuesday, resulting in over 8 million requests that overwhelmed the ticketing system, the state media reported. The sale was the first opportunity for Chinese citizens to ensure seats for the games after 1.6 million of the 7 million tickets being sold were allocated in a lottery earlier this year. Many Beijing residents lined up at the designated 1,000 branches of the Bank of China for up to six hours before the 1.85 million tickets went on sale at 9am. Olympic organizers said they were making efforts to improve the system, and suggested that those who want tickets remain patient and try again when the system is less congested.