Sporting fans need to be their marks to bid for a baton carried by sprint superstar Usain Bolt at the Commonwealth Games, as the deadline nears in the official online auction.

The official competition baton was carried to gold by Bolt and the Jamaican team in the 4x100m relay final at Hampden Park on August 2.

Now sports enthusiasts are hoping to own it and bids of almost £2,000 have already been submitted for the baton since the item went on sale on August 5, and that figure is expected to increase with only hours still left until bidding closes on Thursday evening.

The manager of the auction also thinks that the item may go into overtime bidding as fans prepare to spend more to get a key piece of Games history. Some 70 bids have already been received.

He said: "Glasgow did an amazing job...they really put on a great Games. People have watched the competition from all over the world and they were enthralled by it. People have an emotional connection to the Games which is why there is such a demand for the items we're auctioning off."

The auction is featuring around 10,000 premium articles or assets from the Games over a two-month period. Typically, items will go on sale for three to four days but featured memorabilia like Bolt's baton can be on auction for up to 10 days.

There are thousands of registered users bidding daily on the site, and around 150 items are added each day as memorabilia is sold off.

He said: "The baton has received a lot of attention. In fact anything used in sport, especially by someone like Usain Bolt, does well. The fact that he was here, it really is a big deal. His success and him being here elevated the Games to the international stage."

He added: "The opening ceremony items like the one-off and unique teacakes have already done well. People bidding also love flags. We have an auction about to close on the flag carried by Team Scotland's Euan Burton at the opening ceremony and that has been really popular."

The Bolt baton - which the auction manager thinks will eventually go for £4,000 - was also used earlier on the same day during the 4x100m women's relay final by Nigeria who claimed silver and also during the 4x400m men's relay final by Trinidad and Tobago who claimed bronze.

The item, which comes in an acrylic display case, also has the Official Memorabilia of Glasgow 2014 hologram and is accompanied by a product guarantee and registration certificate as an assurance this is an authentic piece of Commonwealth Games history.

Those not lucky enough to own Bolt's baton can continue to bid on other items in the coming weeks. Life sized versions of the Commonwealth Games mascot Clyde have just been added to the website and pieces of track at Hampden are expected to be sold off.

Proceeds from the auction will help fund the cost of hosting the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

You can keep up to date or bid on the auction here