BY MSNBC

The Beijing 2008 Olympics kick off August 8, but tickets are already going fast. Skip the official Web site of the Olympic Games: Only residents of mainland China are eligible to order tickets through it. For Americans, the best way to buy tickets is through CoSport (877/457-4647). Alternatively, if you're willing to pay marked-up prices, you can snap up tickets from ticket brokers, such as RazorGator (800/542-4466), which obtain tickets and resell them a few months in advance of the Games.

CoSport's ticket-request lottery—the first round of sales—is over. Check CoSport's Web site in October for announcements on when it will put its remaining tickets on sale. "Typically, the most popular events are the opening and closing ceremonies, swimming, diving, and women's gymnastics," says Donald Williams, vice president for sales and marketing at Cartan Tours, which offers vacation packages. Other favorites are track-and-field events and soccer matches, says Williams, who has sold packages for 13 Olympic Games (summer and winter).

Your best bet is to nab tickets for track-and-field events. Seats are comparatively easy to come by, given the enormity of Beijing's National Stadium (91,000 seats) and the high frequency of track-and-field events, which happen twice a day from Aug. 15 to 22. Williams also recommends looking into sports that wouldn't ordinarily interest you. "People always thank me for that advice afterwards," he says.

----------------------------------------------------------------------