Ticket sales for the Rio Olympics have been boosted by Rafaela Silva winning Brazil's first gold medal on Monday and organisers are hopeful that more will be snapped up as the Games progress.

Concerns have been raised in the opening week of the Games over swathes of empty seats at Olympic venues.

Mario Andrada, executive communications director for Rio 2016, says around 10,000 tickets per day were being sold two weeks before the Games, but that 100,000 were sold on Monday - the same day Silva earned Brazil's first gold by beating Sumiya Dorjsuren of Mongolia in the final of the women's judo under 57kg category.

Following her win, Silva burst into tears in front of a raucous home crowd and her achievement has seemingly caught the interest of the wider public.

"We sold 100,000 new tickets yesterday [Monday]. We had 298,629 in all the Olympic arenas yesterday. We sold 82 per cent of the tickets available for yesterday," Andrada told reporters.

"We expect 344,000 people in all the Olympic venues today [Tuesday].

"Two weeks before the Games, we were selling in an area of 10,000 tickets a day. We're now selling more than 100,000 tickets every single day.

"There is nothing better for ticket sales than when the country wins its first gold.

"Brazilians, as have been widely said, are late buyers, but it's impossible to resist when you have the Games at home."