A reporter from Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper was taken away on Friday by police in Beijing after breaking through a barricade set up to control a ticket-buying crowd and kicking a policeman in the groin, the local authorities said.

More than 30,000 people queued for their final chance to buy Olympic tickets near the National Stadium, aka the "Bird's Nest," at the time of the incident, a Beijing municipal government information office spokesman said.

The reporter, surnamed Wong, did not obey police orders and broke through a temporary barricade to take photos, the spokesman said.

"When police officers asked him to leave the temporary restricted zone, Wong didn't listen. He kicked a police officer surnamed Zhang in the groin and injured him," he said.

"Wong was then taken away by police for investigation, and the injured officer was sent to a nearby hospital."

Wong acknowledged he had not listened to police and had kicked the officer, the spokesman said.

"Zhang suffered groin injuries and needs further observation in hospital," he said. "The investigation is continuing."

The spokesman said the weather had been very hot and some people became impatient or excited because they had been waiting a long time. Police were brought in to cordon off areas to keep order and prevent incidents like stampedes.

He did not provide further details.