SINGAPORE - Ticket sales for the upcoming SEA Games in June have been better than expected, with some popular events likely sold out, revealed Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong in Parliament on Monday.

Tickets for the opening ceremony and the water polo finals have been sold out, while swimming events have also proven popular, he said in response to a question from MP Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC) about the status of ticket sales.

Mr Wong also remarked that ticket sales have been "somewhat uneven", so while some events are very popular, others are still "progressing slowly (but) steadily".

Part of the reason for the slower ticket sales for some events could be due to the fact that their fixtures have just been announced, Mr Wong said.

"But I would say that based on past experience compared to other games and other sporting events, the ticket sales... have been better than what we've seen so far. It's better than expected compared to previous events," he added.

He also took the opportunity to encourage Singaporeans to support Team Singapore at venues like the Sports Hub, calling this year's SEA Games a "once in a lifetime opportunity".

Said Mr Wong, "We will never have another Sea Games hosted in our golden jubilee year like this. So this is a historic opportunity and I would encourage all Singaporeans to come and support Team Singapore."