ATfter a hundred years of waiting, Paris and France will return to the Summer Olympics. A big party in perspective and an event that many enthusiasts have checked off their calendars, obviously with the hope of attending the races. But some were quickly disillusioned with the prices displayed on the online platform opened on February 13: 145 euros per place for rugby 7s, 195 euros for fencing qualifications or even 385 euros for the night session of athletics… While the organizers had announced “Popular Games accessible to all”, the first experience of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games ticket office was difficult for most of its users.
For the beauty of the exercise, I tried to make a basket “that suits me well” for the Olympics. By taking the lowest price available for each ticket, two tickets each time. Owl pic.twitter.com/FWbssGScbj
— Youmni Kezzouf (@YoumniKezzouf) February 22, 2023
The pack system with several sports is thus pointed out. This is particularly the case for Thomas, a student, who did not expect to spend so much. “I had all the same taken into account that it could be expensive, but it was a cold shower. The biggest problem is that after having selected several tickets for the first sport, one is obliged to choose exactly the same quantity of tickets for the following sessions. So, in the end, when you want to have access to tickets for the sports that interest you, for high-stakes moments, and with the right number of tickets, it’s at least 800 to 1,000 euros that you have to put in… » Point looks at the different questions of this ticket office that makes you cringe.
• Are there places left?
Yes. The first sales session, until March 15, saw nearly 3 million places made available to the public. In all, there will be 10 million tickets for these Paris 2024 Olympic Games, so don’t panic for those who haven’t yet been able to get the precious sesame! Some disciplines were no longer available quickly for the first phase, such as fencing and track cycling. But other places for these sports will be put on sale soon.
• Are there still places at 24 euros?
In all, nearly 1 million places at 24 euros have been promised by Paris 2024, but also 5 million at 50 euros and less, and the organizers ensure that these reduced price tickets have not all been sold. Theoretically, with the sports pack system, you could get away with three individual seats at 72 euros, but these reduced prices quickly evaporated during the first session.
To have them, it will therefore be necessary to be very reactive at the time of the draw. Thomas affirms for his part that it was impossible to access these places at an advantageous price. “I changed my choices about fifteen times and, after an hour, I was disgusted, I couldn’t choose. I gave up and told myself that I would see later, except that I was still aware that it was the Olympics: I didn’t want to miss it, so I forced myself. »
• Were the prices as high for London 2012?
Yes and no. On RTL, Tony Estanguet faced criticism of the excessive prices for the Games organized in Paris. The chairman of the organizing committee for the next Olympic Games relied in particular on the example of London 2012: “It was already these prices at the London Games, eleven years ago, we are not more expensive , as is the case with the Football and Rugby World Cups. For example, the British organizers also offered tickets at 24 euros.
However, if we move away from the minimum price, there are significant price differences between the two editions. By betting on emblematic places in Paris and its surroundings, such as the Grand Palais and the Palace of Versailles, the organizers of Paris 2024 have set the bar high. Gymnastics has seen its prices increase by around 30% compared to 2012, while places for basketball, from the quarter-finals, will cost twice as much as in London. If we also compare to the Rio Games, organized in 2016, here too Paris 2024 is on average more expensive.
• Is the pack system a good idea?
It depends. Basically, the organizers wanted no sport to be neglected and thus designed packs to attend a team sport, a major discipline and a lesser-known event. But if certain competitions, such as swimming and athletics, are very popular, others do not provoke the same enthusiasm from the public. We are thinking in particular of breakdancing, which is making its debut at the Olympic Games, but also of field hockey and skateboarding.
In addition, with this sometimes excessive price list and the fact that there are no more seats at 24 euros for the moment, some buyers find themselves faced with a fait accompli and end up spending considerable sums, even for underrated sports.
• How many tickets can you buy altogether?
Up to 30 seats! If ever you did not obtain the expected sports during the first sales phase, you can catch up on the following ones while waiting for the next draws. For those who want to attend the Games as a family, it is even possible to buy a maximum of six tickets per session.
READ ALSOOlympic Games 2024: these events which will be accessible for free “I managed to get tickets for some pretty cool sports, says Thomas, even if that’s not what I was originally aiming for: rugby 7, handball and modern pentathlon. But I’m still a little disgusted, because I took individual places and it’s not necessarily the idea that I had of the packs: I wanted to please my family and that’s not the case. The spectators of Paris 2024 are obviously not at the end of their sentences.