Tickets for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games will go back on sale on at 10 AM on Wednesday 21 May, the organising committee has announced. 

The website crashed shortly after opening on Monday after a rush for remaining tickets for the Games. The site will now be reopened on Wednesday, with tickets being made available for different events over the course of three days as part of a “phased approach”.

With sports fans eager to grasp the remaining 50,000 or so tickets that remain, the organising committee has also introduced free postage and a freephone ticketing hotline to help relieve pressure on the website.

“While we sold more than 60,000 tickets through our ticketing website and hotline last week and saw the most incredible support and enthusiasm from the public, the experience of purchasing tickets was frustrating and unacceptable for some people,” said David Grevemberg, Chief Executive of Glasgow 2014. 

“Over the past few days we’ve been working with our Official Ticketing Agent Ticketmaster with the aim of re-establishing a positive ticketing sales experience for the many thousands of people who want to be part of the Games.”

It is hoped that spreading sales over a number of days and platforms will help manage demand on the website. 

The organising committee will announce which sports will be released for sale on which days early next week.

From Wednesday at 10 AM, customers will be able to buy from an initial batch of sports and Ceremonies, the organising committee said in a statement. Further tickets for further events will be available on Thursday and by Friday all remaining tickets will be on public sale.  “With additional measures in place aimed at managing demand and the addition of free postage on all orders and a Freephone Ticketing Hotline, we aim to get back to the business of ensuring remaining tickets are sold and that thousands more people can begin to look forward to experiencing the excitement of the Games,” said Grevemberg.

Ticketmaster – Glasgow 2014’s Official Ticketing Agent – has been investigating and testing the performance issues experienced since the closure of the online ticketing sales platform.

Chris Edmonds, Chairman Ticketmaster UK said: “Our team has been working tirelessly to review, analyse and rectify the issues that were experienced on the site. Our priority remains to ensure that customers have the best possible experience when securing their tickets for the Games.”