Photo taken on Aug. 18, 2010 shows the ticket samples for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Guangzhou Asian Games in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, on Aug. 18, 2010. The Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (GAGOC) unveiled the ticket designs of the Games during a press conference on Wednesday. [Xinhua/Liu Dawei]

The Asian Games 2010 ticket center on Wednesday released five different types of anti-counterfeit tickets for the sporting extravaganza that kicks off on Nov 12.

The five varieties include commemorative tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies, tickets for registered attendees, normal spectator tickets and instantly printed tickets.

Zhang Shucang, deputy manager of Shijiazhuang Printing Co Ltd, said the anti-counterfeit technology used in the Asian Games ticket design is even more advanced than the one adopted in printing banknotes.

The front side of the tickets has five anti-fake spots, a first in sports event tickets.

The ticket center began receiving bookings on July 26. As of Aug 15, the center had received 20,000 bookings for the opening ceremonies of the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games.

Only 5,000 tickets will be issued to the general public for the opening ceremony by way of a lucky draw.

Guangzhou citizens can book the tickets, which have been designed keeping in mind Cantonese cultures and traditions, either online or at banks.

Lu Ping, a cashier at the Tianhe district branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), one of 400 ICBC branches across the country selling tickets, told China Daily that there have been more inquiries than bookings.

Since July 26, she has only sold a few dozen tickets for the opening ceremony.

Yuan Yue, director of the ticket center, reasoned: "It's because we are asking people to pay for the tickets beforehand."

He said that those who pay for the ticket but are subsequently not chosen from the lucky draw would be refunded.

As residents scramble for tickets for the Asian Games opening ceremony, the Para Games, which open on Dec 12, are not getting much attention.

According to the ticket center, more than 1,000 tickets for the Para Games opening ceremony have yet to be booked.

Wong Weiying, 25, a Guangzhou native, said she would rather see the Asian Games than the Para Games even though it is easier to obtain a ticket for the latter.

"The Para Games open too late, but I may keep my eyes on the competitions though," Wong said.

Ticket prices for the Asian Games opening ceremony range from 1,600 yuan ($235) - seven times more expensive than the cheapest tickets for the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony - to 6,800 yuan, which is 1,800 yuan more than the most expensive ticket to the Olympics ceremony.