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Rio Olympics organisers said they
were "not disappointed" by the number of empty seats on show as the
athletics events began in the Estadio Olimpico.
Ticket prices and VIPs not filling their allocations have been cited as reasons for empty seats.
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"Without heroes and local athletes the public take longer to fall in love," said Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada. "But
one of the legacies of the Games will be to show Brazilians how
spectacular these other sports can be and there will be no problem when
Usain Bolt competes on Sunday."Jamaica's Bolt, 29, is attempting to win the 'treble treble' of 100m, 200m and 4x100m golds at three successive Olympics. Andrada said an additional problem in Rio is ticket-holders only wanting see one particular contest in a long session.
The athletics began on Friday with a world record for Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana in the women's 10,000m, and Britain's Jessica Ennis-Hill opening her defence of the heptathlon title she won in London.
However, media outnumbered fans at the start of competition, and by lunchtime the stadium was barely a quarter full. For the start of the evening session, which featured the likes of Jamaica's two-time Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the stadium was less than a fifth full.
Rio 2016's organising committee has been criticised for the ticket-pricing structure, considering the country is in the midst of an economic recession.
It has denied high ticket prices have put Brazilian fans off, while the International Olympic Committee said prices offered to overseas fans were not too high.