1.2 million tickets released as Paris 2024 countdown continues

Some of the big stadiums still have free seats. GETTY IMAGES.

A week before the Olympic Games kick off, fans still have the chance to attend some of the most prominent competitions. According to data provided by the organising committee, there are 1.2 million tickets still available for sale, especially for football, basketball, and handball matches.

Contrary to expectations, some of these team sports are not generating sufficient interest to sell out the available seats in the large stadiums. Therefore, the organizing committee has launched a strategic plan aimed at accelerating ticket sales before the Parisian event begins.

Specifically, as announced to the press this Wednesday by the Deputy General Director of the Committee, Mickaël Aloïsio, fans can now purchase over 50,000 new tickets for events spanning more than thirty sports disciplines. This initiative also includes some additional seats for the swimming and athletics finals, which traditionally have high demand.

Starting next Monday, 22 July, this initiative will enter its final phase, with the remaining tickets available for purchase on a daily basis until the end of the Olympics, as reported by Aloïsio. According to the General Director, over 60% of tickets have been sold in France, with countries like Spain and Italy among the top three in terms of ticket sales for these Olympic Games.

Mickaël Aloïsio, Deputy General Director of the Committee. GETTY IMAGES
Mickaël Aloïsio, Deputy General Director of the Committee. GETTY IMAGES

To go for the 10 million

According to data provided by the organising committee to the AFP news agency, over 8.6 million tickets have already been sold for the Olympic Games. This figure surpasses the record of 8.3 million tickets sold for the Atlanta Games, which until now had held the highest number.

“We have already exceeded those numbers for some time. Right now, we are at 8.6 million for the Olympic programme and have sold over 1 million for the Paralympic programme,” stated last week Tony Estanguet, president of the organising committee for these Olympics. Apparently, reliable data on the volume of tickets is only held by the IOC, which is the body that announced the excellent sales pace.

The organisers predict that ticket sales could surpass ten million for the Paris event, which will take place from 26 July to 11 August, and 3.4 million for the Paralympic edition, scheduled for 28 August to 8 September. “The good news is that in this final stage, we are making a certain number of tickets available to the public for many sports,” said Estanguet.

The president also explained that there is a wide range of prices where interested parties can find very good opportunities to attend the Games, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, which will feature numerous musical, audiovisual, and dance performances. “We are proud to have already broken the record, but we can still do better,” Estanguet added.

Tony Estanguet, president of the organising committee for these Olympics. GETTY IMAGES
Tony Estanguet, president of the organising committee for these Olympics. GETTY IMAGES

Varied prices

Regarding the pricing of the tickets, a dual criterion is being followed in broad terms; both the level of demand and the capacity of the stadiums influence the prices. Thus, it is not surprising that it is more expensive to attend athletics, swimming, and basketball events, while for other sports such as golf, water polo, rugby sevens, or football, prices are set below $100 (91,83€).

On the other hand, tickets for special ceremonies such as the opening ceremony went on sale from $90 (82,65€), although this figure tends to rise as the start date approaches, as it is an event that is usually very popular among visitors and no one wants to miss it.

Beyond these options, users also have the possibility to purchase so-called hospitality packages, which, in addition to guaranteed tickets for the sports sessions, offer a wide range of additional premium and VIP options: accommodation, personalised attention, and access to exclusive spaces and catering services. The price of these packages can range around $500 (459,12€) for the early qualifying rounds and go up to $4,000 (3673,34€) for the finals.



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