Despite promises that prices would bring “accessibility of everyone to Olympic Sports,” fans aren’t happy with the initial ticket sales experience for next year’s Paris 2024 Olympics. Bundled multi-event ticket packages and limited availability have sent prices soaring for fans “lucky” enough to get in through the lottery process for the first round of ticket sales, which opened in mid-February.
“I really wanted to have tickets for the Olympics. I wanted my son to live that unique experience … in our city,” says Amélie Beney, an English teacher who was looking to purchase tickets to the event for herself and her 9-year-old son. “I became disillusioned (with the ticket system) and the prices. This is just insane.”
Beney had hoped to purchase tickets for BMX, water polo, or soccer, but found there almost no affordable tickets left, and the bundling requirement sent costs sky-high.
There were tickets for a soccer match at 50 euros ($53) but Beney would also have to buy at least two tickets for two additional events. Available tickets included basketball or handball at 150 euros ($160), swimming at 230 euros ($244) and a whopping 690 euros ($732) for a qualifying event in track and field.
“Who can afford tickets at that price?” Beney asked. “I can’t.”
The first round of tickets required fans interested in attending to register for a lottery system. Those chosen had a 48-hour window to purchase tickets to at least three events, and could purchase as many as 30 tickets in total. Organizers had talked up plans to make the Paris games affordable for consumers, but are now walking back those promises in light of the consumer disappointment.
“We know that people are going to be disappointed, and we know that we don’t have tickets for everybody,” Michael Aloisio, the deputy general manager of the Paris Olympics, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “But we also know that we have more selling phases opening soon with more tickets.”
The second phase of ticket sales for Paris 2024 will launch in May, which will allow consumers to purchase tickets for individual events. Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies will also be on sale this spring, promising lower level seats for 90 euros and up, with free tickets on offer in the upper levels of the stadium, though the number of such tickets has not been revealed.
Once ticket sales are exhausted, resale ticket opportunities will be in place, presumably strictly regulated by IOC and member organizations. There will also be hospitality packages available through event partner On Location Experiences, but the details on the pricing and availability of those has not yet been announced. Fans interested in those options can sign up for updates on the On Location event website.
Further details and sign-up links for the events are available at the Olympics website.
