BEIJING The head of ticket sales for the Beijing Olympics has been fired after the computer system crashed after receiving 20 million hits in the first three hours of opening.

The sale of 1.85 million tickets, available first-come, first-served, had to be abandoned after less than 24 hours on October 30. The system, which was designed to handle 150,000 ticket sales an hour, crashed under the weight of eight million hits in the first hour. Only 9,000 tickets were sold.

Despite a tearful public apology in which he admitted that he had underestimated demand, Rong Jun, the head of ticket sales, lost his job.

Organisers will now use the lottery system that was used in April when the next phase of ticket sales begins on December 10. Seven million tickets for the Games, to be held on August 8-24, are available to the public. Nearly three quarters of the tickets are reserved for residents of mainland China.

The online ticket sales problem and worries about air pollution in Beijing are the two main concerns in preparations for the Olympics.

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