“A real satisfaction”, “a very strong enthusiasm of the French”, “a commercial success”… At Pulse, the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee (Cojop) in Saint-Denis, smiles are on everyone’s lips. The Cojop, during a press briefing on Thursday March 9, announced that 3.25 million tickets for the Olympic Games had been sold since February 15 with more than a week in advance of the end of this first sale phase called by packs.
The Cojop is right, the French were strongly mobilized during this first sales campaign since they represent two thirds of the buyers among the 158 nationalities listed (the United Kingdom, followed by the United States, Germany and the Netherlands). Bottom complete the top 5 acquirers); 45% of buyers are women and 44% are under 35, the organizer also details.
During this first phase, the people drawn by lot had however made many criticisms when making the purchase: events unavailable, excessive prices (some were offered an entry price of 690 euros for qualifications in athletics ), too much rigidity in the combinations of sessions, etc. Climbing and BMX freestyle were sold out from the first day of sale; fencing, judo, breaking or even track cycling a few days later, causing a lot of frustration among buyers, but satisfaction among organizers.
Under the principle of first drawn, first served, places under 50 euros left in the first days. Many families were then disillusioned. In its defense, the Cojop, which wants to make Paris 2024 the Olympics “accessible” et “popular”argues that 400,000 seats at 24 euros (out of a million in total at this price, including 700,000 for the general public) found takers and that 70% of the seats sold did not exceed 100 euros when sold in packs .
He also repeats over and over again that 50% of the 8 million seats intended for the general public cost less than 50 euros, that the ticket office used represents a third of his income (more than 1.4 billion euros in total with “hospitality”, i.e. the sale of tickets combined with other services) and that the most expensive places allow“balancing the overall financing of the Games”.
Arrested in the Senate on March 8 on the need for accessible prices for the Games, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra explained that the prices charged by Paris 2024 are “in line with previous editions of the Games”. “We will be, all together, at the rendezvous of tariff accessibility”promised the Minister of Sports on Wednesday to parliamentarians.
1.5 million single tickets on sale
On Thursday, the Cojop also presented the key dates for its second phase of sales, that of single tickets for the Olympic Games. Registrations for the draw will be open from March 15 to April 20 and, as for the pack phase, the lucky ones will, from May 11, be informed two days before the opening of their purchase slot of forty -eight hours.
The most popular sessions – the athletics, basketball and 100m swimming finals, for example – will be on sale, as will tickets for the opening ceremonies along the Seine (count from 90 euros at 2,700 euros on the lower platforms, free on the upper platforms) and closing at the Stade de France (between 45 and 1,600 euros).
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Some examples of prices offered: it will cost between 90 euros and 320 euros to attend the handball finals at the end of the Olympics, from 125 to 980 euros for the men’s 100m final on Sunday August 4 or between 85 and 420 euros for the equestrian finals at the Palace of Versailles. Again, no more than thirty tickets per buyer (counting those purchased during packs) and no more than six tickets per session – no more than four for the most popular sessions.
For this second ticketing phase, 1.5 million seats (including 150,000 at 24 euros) will be offered for sale to the general public; the organizers want to have at D-1 year of the opening ceremony a remaining volume of 3 million tickets for a third and last phase of sale, for “not drying up the different sports disciplines”.
Asked about the ultimate possibility of selling more tickets in the event of high demand, Paris 2024 ensures that it adopts a “prudential approach” ticketing, based on an occupancy rate of 85% of the various competition sites. It is indeed less easy for the organizer to fill the stadiums for the Olympic football tournament than to organize the sold-out fencing events. However, the ticketing strategy will be refined at the end of each sales phase, underlines the Cojop.
The ticket office for the Paralympic Games will be open in October.
