THE remaining tickets for the Commonwealth Games are back on sale today.

Tickets will be available for the opening and closing ceremonies and team sports, with other remaining tickets released on a staggered basis tomorrow and Friday.

With more than 40,000 tickets still available, organisers will be hoping that this week's sales go more smoothly than last week's.

Last week, Ticketmaster was forced to halt ticket sales after technical problems blighted the process, causing frustration for many people trying to get their hands on tickets and widespread embarrassment for the event's organisers.

Problems included some users waiting up to 24-hours on the website, others successfully selecting tickets before being returned to the queue when attempting to pay and issues with the phone booking system.

Some people were left with huge telephone bills for failed attempts to get tickets.

Following all these problems, organisers took the decision to instruct Ticketmaster to suspend sales completely until the technical issues had been fully resolved.

With assurances from Ticketmaster that the system will be able to cope with the expected demand, all focus will be on ensuring these remaining tickets can be sold without incident this week.

The problems last week were particularly disappointing given the huge success of the Games preparations up until that point.

Glasgow's organising committee has done a tremendous job in ensuring the stunning venues and facilities have been completed on time and on budget.

But with just two months until the event, all that hard work was in danger of being undermined by last week's ticketing fiasco.

It will be hugely frustrating for organisers that a private company brought in - and paid handsomely - to provide a service, has allowed these problems to tarnish the reputation of the wider Games.

It should have been no surprise that there would have been a high demand for tickets and that the ticket operator would have been expected to fully prepare for this.

With Usain Bolt still to decide on whether or not he will compete, Glasgow 2014 did receive a boost last week as double Olympic champion Mo Farah confirmed that he will run at the Games.

Although Farah is still to confirm which events he will take part in, the presence of one of the biggest names in world athletics is a huge boost to the Games this summer.

Part of the legacy from Glasgow 2014 is to inspire young people in Scotland, and having Mo Farah take part is a hugely important step in helping secure that legacy.

The Commonwealth Games is a great platform for Glasgow, a chance to shine on the word stage and improve the lives of many in our city.

We need to ensure that there are no further mistakes made and that issues with the tickets are put behind us as we approach the start line in summer.