1.89 million tickets had been sold in just over a week for all 767 sessions
The second phase of ticket sales for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, which closed on May 19, was an unprecedented success, say the organisers of the Games, adding that they set new sales records, with more than one million tickets having been snapped up in only 36 hours.
At the end of this phase, 1.89 million tickets had been sold in just over a week for all 767 sessions of the Games. In a press statement, the organisers say that accessible via a global draw, this second phase of sales was devoted to the sale of single tickets for all the available events on the Olympic Programme, notably all the finals, as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
The price range of tickets for the sports competitions was between EUR 24-980, with the higher rates enabling those at more accessible prices to be offered. This approach has ensured a balanced budget for the Organising Committee, which is 96 pc financed by private revenue, of which ticket sales represent one-third.
The statement adds that ticket sales for the Paralympic Games will open on October 9. It says as that as with the first phase of sales, demand for tickets far outnumbered the number available. Four million people signed up for the draw. The French general public was very active during this second phase of sales, reflecting their wish to support their athletes and to enjoy the unique experience of a Games on home turf. They purchased almost two-thirds of tickets sold as 63.5 pc were French residents, compared to 36.5 pc from abroad.
The statement says that in all, people from 178 different countries acquired tickets in this phase. The average age of the purchaser was 40 years and 45 pc of the purchasers were women and 55 pc of the French purchasers lived in the Ile-de-France region that includes Paris.
Affordable and accessible
The statement adds that the tickets sold in this second phase were for all the sports on the Olympic Programme, beside surfing, for which ticket sales were not available, and for every budget. Almost 60 pc of the tickets were priced at EUR 100 or less, with 17 pc of tickets being sold at EUR 24.
Team sports, for which the venues tend to be among the biggest and with the greatest number of sessions available, were the highest sellers as expected. Football was in first place for tickets sold, followed by basketball, handball, athletics and volleyball respectively, say the organisers.
Tickets in all categories for triathlon, sports climbing, BMX racing, BMX freestyle and breaking sold out on the first day they became available, May 11, in less than two hours. And sessions such as that where the famous French judoka Teddy Riner will compete, qualifying rounds in the morning and final phases in the evening, or the basketball 3×3 finals also sold out within two hours. The EUR 90 tickets for the Opening Ceremony were all taken up in less than an hour.
Further opportunities to purchase tickets
Taking into account the different stages of ticket sales already held, packs of tickets, followed by sales per unit, as well as the sales aimed at the various groups involved in the Games, such as travel and hospitality packages through the intermediary of On Location, stakeholders, communities, the sports movement and the Olympic partners, Paris 2024 has already sold 6.8 million tickets for the Olympic Games, surpassing initial estimates.
Additionally, to keep up with this considerable demand, Paris 2024 plans to open ticket sales again at the start of summer 2023, on a date yet to be decided, focusing mainly on the competitions held in regions outside Paris, for football in cities like Bordeaux, Nantes, Nice, Marseille, Lyon and Saint-Etienne, handball and basketball in Lille. These sales will be open to all in France as well as abroad. For the first time in the Paris 2024 sales process, the draw to purchasing timeslots will be replaced by direct sales.
The organisers say that provided by On Location, the official hospitality supplier package offers including tickets for various venues are currently on sale for a large number of sessions.
After the first two sales phases, the opening of the Paralympic tickets sales on October 9 will be the other main moment of 2023 for purchasing a ticket to experience the Games. At that time, 2.8 million tickets will be put on sale for the whole of the competition from August 28 to September 8, 2024. This will be a worldwide sale accessible in real time, and there will be no draws for purchasing timeslots.
For the first Paralympic Games to be organised in France, more than 500,000 tickets will be offered at EUR 15, and half of all tickets will be at EUR 25 or less. Exceptional sessions and the best seats will be put on sale at EUR 100. Thanks to this price list, the organisers say that Paris 2024 wishes to enable as many people as possible, particularly families, to discover this event in order to increase public enthusiasm and appreciation for Paralympic athletes and sports, while showcasing this increasingly popular elite sports competition.
