Over the span of seven years, since Paris was awarded the hosting rights for the 2024 Olympic Games, several significant promises made by the organising committee remain unfulfilled.

Many individuals perceive the ticket prices for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as excessively high, while parents complain about having to buy tickets for babies, which contradicts the notion of the event being dubbed the “People’s Games.” Organisers contend that the ticket costs are comparable to those of the London 2012 Olympics.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony on the Seine was initially planned for 600,000 spectators, including 100,000 ticket holders. Due to security reasons, attendance has been capped at 222,000, maintaining 100,000 paid ticket slots.

There has been a shift in philosophy as well. Initially, spectators were to register via lottery; now, all attendees will be directly invited by public administrations and the organising committee.

The French government’s slogan, “The Games finance the Games,” will not be realised, given the significant involvement of private funding and the various French public administrations have already allocated over 2.4 billion euros ($2.65 billion) toward infrastructure, urban projects, and the anti-doping laboratory, among other initiatives.

Macron reiterated that “There will be no Games tax”, despite much of the expenses relying on public funds. Pierre Moscovici, President of the Court of Auditors, recently projected that final public investment could amount to “3,000 to 5,000 million euros.” The true extent of public expenditure will be showcased after Paris 2024.

“All ticket holders would have access to free travel on the entire public transport network in the Paris region on the day of the competition,” promised the bid dossier, but finally will not be implemented as originally stated.

In December 2022, seeking extra revenue, the Paris region’s public transport operator announced special prices for the Games: a single metro ticket for 4 euros, almost double the regular fare, citing a projected 15% increase in event traffic.

The Olympic Aquatic Centre (OAC) in Saint-Denis, built for the Games, won’t host swimming events due to budget constraints. The capacity was cut to 5,000 spectators, only a third of the requirement set by the international federation (World Aquatics) for hosting international swimming competitions.

Water polo, artistic swimming, and diving events will take place at the OAC, while swimming competitions, one of the main sports of the Games, will be held at La Défense Arena on the opposite side of the capital.

The environmental impact is another issue that must be reversed. Initially, plans aimed for a “positive” environmental impact by offsetting CO2 emissions, but this idea was later dropped. Critics, including experts, had voiced concerns about the initial concept, arguing it gave a false impression that the event would have no environmental impact.

The organisation’s current goal is to cut CO2 emissions by 50%. These emissions are divided into thirds: transportation, infrastructure construction, and activities directly tied to the Games like accommodation and catering.

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