“There won’t be enough for everyone:” The astute warning made by Tony Estanguet, president of Paris 2024 after the first phase of tickets sales had closed for the 2024 Olympic Games (OJ), which had been marked by controversy because prices were deemed excessive. Estanguet added that people should expect that the second sequence of sale of tickets, in May, “will continue to generate disappointments and frustrations.”
“It is inevitable. But it is going to at least make some people happy,” he was also keen to stress. For those who registered for the second phase of ticket sales, now is the time to know if they are in the frustrated camp or the happy one. Since Tuesday, May 9, the lucky ones have started to be informed. And for those drawn first, the purchase windows (which stay open for a duration) open Thursday, May 11.
How many tickets can you buy?
After selling 3.25 million tickets in the first phase, the organizers are offering 1.5 million for this second phase. They should sell out without too much difficulty, as 4 million people have registered for the draw. The tickets for the finals of some sports are now available, which was not the case in the first phase. And it will also be possible to buy tickets for the opening ceremony on the Seine. In total, 10 million tickets for the Olympic Games will be available by 2024, 8 million of which will be sold directly to the general public.
What is the procedure and how many tickets can you buy?
If the first phase of sales was done by packs, with a selection of three sports and the obligation to buy the same number of tickets for each of these three sessions, this time the tickets are sold by unit. It is possible to buy up to thirty tickets. For those who were able to purchase tickets in the first phase of sales and are drawn again (99% of those who registered for the first phase were also drawn for the second phase), you have to subtract these tickets to see how many more you can get.
In this second phase, 767 sessions are offered for sale, in all disciplines – 20% of the tests or finals were not offered in the initial phase. While up to six tickets can be purchased per session, this number is reduced to four for the most prestigious final events as well as for the opening and closing ceremonies – the most popular sessions – which will be sold individually.
Tickets, certainly, but at what price?
Approximately 150,000 tickets at €24 – the lowest price for these Olympics – out of the remaining 300,000 will be sold from May 11, which is 10% of the total available tickets. But at this price, there will be no finals of the 100m, basketball or 100m freestyle, for example, where the price of the tickets will be between €125 and €980.
The same goes for the opening ceremonies along the River Seine (from €90 to €2,700 on the low quays, free on the high quays) and the closing ceremony at the Stade de France (between €45 and €1,600). It will cost between €90 and €320 to attend the handball finals and between €85 euros and €420 for the equestrian finals at the Château de Versailles.
Even though the organizers had promised to put back on sale tickets in all the disciplines, the principle of “first drawn, first served” makes that all the events will not be accessible for everyone, not considering the significant price levels that exclude many. The organizers of Paris 2024 have been keen to emphasize that their tickets are in the same price brackets as the previous editions of the Olympics and, in particular, that they are not more expensive than in London in 2012.
One last chance after the draw?
If you have bad luck with the draw or if the tickets you score are out of your budget, there will still be two possibilities. A third sales phase will be open from now until the end of 2023 and until 2024. It will operate “on a first-come, first-served basis,” according to the organizing committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Cojop). After the summer, there should be more than three million tickets left for the general public. In other words, lots of opportunities to experience “the magic of the Games”, as Cojop boasts.
In addition, an official platform will open in spring 2024 in order to allow buyers who would wish to resell their places, “for the original face value of the tickets”, assured the organizers. They stress that bidding auctions will not be permitted. In addition to all these possibilities, those disappointed by the ticketing process will always be able to go to the Club France, in the park of the Villette, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, to follow the events there free of charge on giant screen.
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But if you want to applaud future French medalists, there will be a charge for that as well. The price of admission has not been set yet, but access to the Grande Halle de la Villette, where the celebrations of the athletes will be held, will not be free, as former skater and Club France president delegate Nathalie Péchalat told The Team.
How do you buy tickets for the Paralympic Games?
For the Paralympic Games, you will have to wait a little longer. Ticketing will only open in October. It will be a procedure without drawing lots, more than three million tickets will be put on sale. The combined ticket sales for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are set to bring in a total of nearly €1.4 billion to Paris 2024, with a global budget of €4.4 billion.
