Thousands of people began queuing on Wednesday, in a last-ditch attempt to secure a ticket for the Olympics.

The final round of ticket sales begins today in five cities across the country. In the capital, they will be available from 18 special booths located near Olympic venues.

The Games' organizers have said that about 820,000 tickets will be available, of which 250,000 are for events in Beijing and the rest for football matches in Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao.