Twenty per cent of the 2.5 million total tickets have now been purchased, organisers claim, a significant increase on the 12 per cent number given this time last week.

They claim to have sold a single day record of 133,000 tickets on Tuesday (23 August).

This follows 50,000 and 100,000 over the previous two days.

"In the last 48 hours alone, we have doubled the number oftickets sold overall," said International Paralympic Committee chief executive Xavier Gonzalez.

"It is fantastic to see the cariocas rallying around the Paralympics.

"Brazil winning Olympic gold in football and volleyball lastweekend has given home fans a flavour of what they can expect at the Paralympics with the host nation targeting a top five finish in the medals table. 

"Clearly they want more and want to be part of what will be historic and transformative Paralympic Games here in Rio."

Athletics, swimming, five-a-side football, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball have supposedly seen the best sales.

Empty seats remain a huge concern with less than two weeks to go until the Opening Ceremony, however, particularly because organisers have been falsely bullish in the past.

In January, the IPC said they would take a closer role in the process after it was announced that only 10 per cent had been sold.

In March, a figure of 12 to 15 per cent was given, with organisers vowing to rollout a "major publicity" campaign to reach a target of 50 per cent by the start of the Olympic Torch Relay in May.

In May, it was claimed that a third of tickets had been sold, with the rise partly because numbers had been reduced.

Figures ranging from 29 to 33 per cent had since been announced by Rio 2016 before this latest revision .

The subsequent drop was blamed a readjustment in total numbers as well as Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes being unable to fulfil his pledge to buy 500,000 tickets for local people.

Tickets for Paralympic sporting events in Rio cost from 10 reais (about US$3) to 130 reais (US$40).

This cuts as cuts continue to take place ahead of the Games opening here on September 7, with National Paralympic Committees still awaiting vital travel grants from the Organising Committee which were due on July 29.

An extra R$150 million (£36 million/$46 million/€42 million) is set to be allocated to the Organising Committee by the City Government in order to cover funding shortfalls.