Fifty thousand tickets have been sold for next year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest just four days after becoming available ©Budapest 23

Fifty thousand tickets have been sold for next year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest just four days after becoming available, with Men's World Athlete of the Year Mondo Duplantis appearing the biggest draw so far.

According to the Budapest 23 Organising Committee local and international buyers have been equally keen to secure tickets, and the most popular choice so far is day eight, which will feature a men’s pole vault final where many will expect to see Sweden's Olympic and world champion nudge his own world record of 6.21 metres a little higher.

Fans from Britain, the United States and Germany have been quickest to secure tickets, but spectators from Spain and France are also eager to buy.

There is strong interest from central Europe, as expected, as this is the first time that the region will host the outdoor World Athletics Championships.

Several thousand people from Poland have bought tickets or packages.

So far day eight, featuring a men's pole vault final where Sweden's world and Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis could threaten his own world record, is proving most popular in terms of early ticket sales ©Getty Images
So far day eight, featuring a men's pole vault final where Sweden's world and Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis could threaten his own world record, is proving most popular in terms of early ticket sales ©Getty Images

Fans from as far away as Australia, Chile and Jamaica have reserved their seats, and fans from Qatar took time away during the FIFA World Cup this week to start planning to attend another major sports event.

The World Championships are scheduled to take place from August 19 to 27 at the new, purpose-built National Athletics Centre and in the centre of Budapest, where the road competitions, marathons and race walks are due to be held.

Tickets for nine evening and five morning sessions are currently available.

Day two of the World Championships, on August 20 - a national holiday in Hungary - is also proving very popular with action starting in the stadium and culminating in the men’s 100 metres final.

Another highlight is likely to be day six, when World Female Athlete of the Year Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States is due to compete in the women's 400m hurdles final and could threaten her own world record.

"The interest shown by the ticket sales figures for the first four days has far exceeded all previous estimates and the expectations of World Athletics," said Balázs Németh, the Budapest 2023 chief executive.