Ticketholders for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are speaking out after news broke that parents would have to pay a full-price ticket for their child to attend the game with them — even if the child is a newborn.
The 2024 Olympic Games are scheduled to run from July 26 to August 11. According to organizers, “all spectators need a valid ticket to enter an Olympic venue, including children of all ages.” When pressed on the issue, the organizing committee defended its decision to require babies to have their own seats, noting in a statement to Agence France-Presse that “in general, Paris 2024 does not recommend that parents bring children under the age of four to competition venue.”
“Paris 2024 urges parents to take into account the environment of sports venues, which may not be suitable for the well-being of young children,” organizers told the publication.
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This wouldn’t be the first time an infant ticket requirement has caused an uproar; the 2012 London Olympics had the same policy, but organizers changed their decision due to pressure from the public and media. Then, in 2016 for the Rio Olympics, certain prices were put in place for pensioners, students, and disabled fans.
Ticketholders are not happy with this decision. One 37-year-old ticket holder, Tom Baker, told AFP that he purchased tickets a year and a half before the games, and now, he’s expecting his first child in May. Tickets are now sold out and he already spent around 3,000 euros on tickets.
“I couldn’t believe it when I found out that as soon as a baby is born it needs its own seat,” Baker told the publication.
Another ticketholder, Adrien Pol, told AFP that the policy is “discriminatory against women.”
“We want to breastfeed so it will end up being my partner Marine who has to stay with our child,” Pol said. “She might have to make the sacrifice even though it’s something we wanted to do together.”
Others stand by the organizing committee’s decision, urging new parents not to bring a newborn to the Olympics in the first place. People shared their thoughts on the r/Olympics subreddit after a ticketholder spoke out against the committee’s ticket rule:
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The organizing committee has already been under fire for the exorbitant ticket prices for this year’s summer games. Many have spoken-out regarding the high ticket prices; Sebastian Coe, the president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and former head of the London 2012 organizing committee, criticized the Paris 2024 bosses for the cost of tickets for next year’s event, noting that fans and the families of athletes will be priced-out.
What do you think? Should ticketholders have to pay an additional full-price ticket for their newborn or infant baby? Let us know in our poll below:
Should 2024 Paris Olympics ticketholders have to buy a full-priced ticket for their infant? Let us know what you think:
— TicketNews (@TicketNews) March 18, 2024