People who want to be at opening and closing ceremonies of Beijing 2008 must submit a photo of themselves. Every ticket will have the photo of the person who bought it. Security measures also include requiring spectators to fill out application forms with personal data.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Getting tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies to next year's Beijing Olympic Games will require buyers to submit their photographs to mainland authorities.

Applications to buy tickets for the Games opened in Hong Kong on Tuesday, with 381 people submitting their names on the first day.

The move not only targets people in Hong Kong but will affect any one applying for tickets to the ceremonies.

“The photo of each individual is likely to be on his or her ticket. This is the first time people will be asked to submit their photos. I don't recall it happening at previous Olympic Games,” a highly placed Hong Kong sports official said yesterday.

Security concerns and the desire to prevent tickets reaching the black market has also resulted in residents having to provide personal details in the application forms to buy Beijing Olympic tickets.

Tickets for the opening ceremony on August 8 range from US$ 210 to US$ 690. Closing ceremony tickets are priced between US$ 120 and US$ 420.

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