three questions about olympics pricing policy

Nearly 70% of the tickets for the Olympic Games have been sold, the organizers of Paris 2024 announced on Tuesday May 23. Despite what the Paris Olympics organizing committee hails as a success, waves of criticism follow one another, in particular on ticket prices, which are considered too high. franceinfo takes stock as the second phase of sales has just ended.

>> Paris 2024: prices too high, forced choice… The ticket office for the Olympic Games makes the lucky draw cringe

1How are tickets sold and how many are left?

Nearly seven million tickets in total were sold during phases one and two: 6.8 million exactly. The second phase has just ended with staggering figures: one million tickets sold out in 36 hours. Some events, such as the “Teddy Riner Day” in the judo tournament, were sold out in less than two hours: so it is a great success in the eyes of the organizers.

In detail, 3.25 million were sold during the first phase of sales by packs, and 1.89 million were sold during the second phase, this time individually. Added to this are 1.6 million tickets already sold out of the 2 million reserved for partners, communities, the State and officials. There are still some 2.8 million places left for the general public.

2Are criticisms of ticket prices justified?

They are justified when looking at the top categories. To attend the biggest finals, you have to pay 980 euros. It’s even 2,700 euros for the opening ceremony, more than a minimum wage and a half. It’s expensive, especially for games advertised as “popular and accessible”, but the prices are comparable to those of the previous Olympic Games, especially those of London, if inflation is taken into account. When we look at this second phase as a whole, out of 1.89 million tickets sold, 58% were at less than 100 euros, 80% at less than 200 euros and only 7% at more than 400 euros.

>> Paris 2024 Olympics: why the Olympic Games ticket office is so disappointed

The problem is that it was the most expensive tickets that remained on sale 36 hours after the opening of the second phase, when all the others had left. It should be remembered that the ticket office represents a third of the financing of the Olympic Games and that, to hope for a balanced budget, the organizers intend to draw 1.2 billion euros from these tickets. This balanced budget objective is not yet guaranteed.

3 For those who dream of attending an event without breaking the bank, are there not too expensive tickets left?

There are still some left, particularly in the context of the third phase of sales which should open this summer. It mainly concerns team sports (football, handball, basketball, etc.) in regional stadiums (Nantes, Bordeaux, Saint-Etienne) and there will be places from 30 euros. For other sports, there are around 200,000 tickets left at 24 euros. For this new phase, there is no longer any need, as was the case for the first two, to register beforehand in order to hope to be drawn. It will be a direct purchase, and the sale will be open to all audiences, in France and abroad.

Young people from working-class neighborhoods, volunteers from the sports movement or scholarship students who have not been able to afford these “expensive” tickets will have the opportunity to benefit from the “social ticket office”. One million tickets acquired by the State and local authorities will then be distributed free of charge.

Finally, last possibility: an official resale platform will be open in the spring of 2024.