Just hours ahead of the opening ceremony, more than a million tickets are unsold for the Olympics.

The organizing committee said it has reached its revenue sales target.

So, some tickets will be given away to avoid having empty seats.

CCTV America’s Joel Richards reports.

Brazilians and international tourists line up in the sand at the Copacabana beach ticket office.

The opening ceremony may be sold out, but there are still plenty of available seats available for major events, including Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

Organizers recently said that tickets are affordable for locals.

An Olympic spokesman said the committee has sold 80 percent of its tickets – totaling near five million.

Many of the unsold tickets are for soccer matches which are being played in cities around Brazil, far from here at the Olympic park, in part explaining the large number of tickets still available.

To avoid empty seats, organizers have backtracked on a pledge not to give tickets away. More than 240,000 schoolchildren will be given tickets to watch some of the slower selling sports like golf and rugby.

Despite the recession, Zika concerns, crime and pollution, there is optimism on the eve of the competition.

Organizers are satisfied with the projected revenue and hope not to see lots of empty seats once the games begin.