Paralympic ticket sales pass the two million mark in remarkable turnaround for Rio organizers – with a little help from friends Coldplay and Prince Harry who backed the #FillTheSeats campaign 

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Paralympic organizers are celebrating reaching the 2million mark in ticket sales for the twelve-day event. 

Last weekend was a total sell-out, and indications are that tickets will be sold out again on the final Saturday and Sunday of the two-week event.

Swathes of empty seats greeted athletes when the competition began, after an Olympics that was also marred by sparse crowds.

But although unfilled seats are still visible, organizers say the Rio Paralympics has become the second biggest in history after London 2012's record showing. 

The turnaround was achieved after organizers slashed prices and invited local school children to attend. 

High-profile figures including Prince Harry and Coldplay also backed a #FillTheSeats campaign. 

Paralympic Games spokesman Mario Andrada said ticket sales passed the 2 million mark on Wednesday afternoon and financial targets were closed to being reached.

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People filled the stands for the women's sitting volleyball preliminary game between Iran and the USA on Saturday

Spectators crowd into the Olympic Park on Saturday, when events completely sold out

Prince Harry helped back a campaign to get crowds into the stadiums

Coldplay got behind the campaign too

He previously said that Brazilians can buy tickets for as low as 10 reais (about $3) and pay for them on a four-month plan (2.5 reais per month).

The London Paralympics pulled in a record 2.7 million people in 2012 - more than the total amount of seats available in Rio.

‘The total tickets available for the Games was 2.5 million,' Andrada said.

'We won't reach 2.5 million because some of the tickets for competitions which have taken place cannot be sold.

‘But if we get close to 2.2 million, we would beat our financial target and being in the two million bracket is the closest you could get to London 2012.

‘For us, the jackpot is the energy in the Olympic Park every day…Paralympic sport is cool and people are having a great time [and changing] their perception towards people with impairment.  

He said 86,000 people were in the Olympic Park on Tuesday and 79,000 were expected by Wednesday night. On Thursday more than 122,000 tickets have been sold for all venues.

Andrada said athletes had broken 152 world records thus far and sales of merchandising were 10 per cent higher than expected. 

However, although Paralympic officials expect bumper crowds for the last weekend of the Games, athletes are still competing in vastly empty arenas.

In the Olympic Stadium last night where gold medal events were being staged, the 50,000-seat stadium was barely five per cent full.

Organizers have roped off the entire top tier of the stadium and TV pictures can give the impression of a fuller venue than is the case.   

But although Paralympic officials expect bumper crowds for the last weekend of the Games thanks to the campaign, athletes are still competing in vastly empty arenas during the week

The Olympic Stadium on Wednesday had plenty of empty seats

Thangavelu Mariyappan, only the third Indian ever to win a Paralympic gold, showed his enthusiasm on Wednesday

Still, the closing ceremony on Sunday evening has just 2,000 tickets for sale out of close to 50,000. 

IPC official Craig Spence said: ‘Two million is a fabulous achievement. 

'Bearing in mind where we were at the end of August when 200,000 were sold, to sell 10 times that in a matter of weeks shows how the Cariocas (Rio residents) have embraced these Games.

‘Rio 2016 and the public deserve a pat on the back for turning this into a carnival of sport.'

He said one billion people had engaged through social media with the Paralympics.

Thangavelu Mariyappan, only the third Indian ever to win a Paralympic gold, showed his enthusiasm on Wednesday. The high jumper will carry his country’s flag at the closing ceremony.

He told DailyMail.com: 'These have been a great Games. The people have loved us and we have loved them.'

Around 4,350 athletes from over 160 countries are competing at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.