Paris 2024: Olympics at risk of empty seats amid ticket sale fears
With just 200 days to go until what has been promised to be one of the most exceptional Olympic Games of the modern age, CityAM research shows that 55 medal sessions still have tickets available to purchase.
It raises questions over whether ticket prices are too high, whether the demand is there and whether Paris 2024 has an aura of desirability. The Games get underway on 26 July with an opening ceremony on the River Seine.
Among the tickets available for purchase are the men’s and women’s 100m athletics finals and the men’s and women’s 200m finals at the Stade de France.
‘Lumpy’ Olympics
Athletics is often seen as the premier event at an Olympiad but with just 200 days to go there remain empty seats.
Among the other sports with medal event tickets available are rugby sevens, handball – which is extremely popular in France – basketball, boxing and swimming.
Athletics tickets have been priced at €990 (£775) for premium “Category First” seats for evening sessions, and €690, €385, €195 and €85 for Category A-D tickets.
“We have made the point that these prices are lumpy,” World Athletics chief Lord Sebastian Coe said of the Paris 2024 pricing structure last month.
“In Budapest [2023 World Athletic Championship], we had very affordable tickets. There are always going to be premium tickets but it is important that our stadiums are full of people that love our sport, not people that can afford to get to an Olympics.
“Our sport cannot afford to look marginal in big championships. It really is unacceptable. And I don’t want people to think that Budapest was a one-off. This is not a one-off, it is not an outlier. This is the new standard. And full stadia are absolutely a prerequisite.”
Vocal
Global head of strategy at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment Neil Hopkins told CityAM: “One of the main challenges for the Paris 2024 organisers will be the perception that the ticket prices are comparatively expensive.
“Seb Coe has been very vocal about the topic and a sport that for many defines the Olympics – these concerns should be taken seriously.
“Elite sport has survived the cost-of-living crisis because post-pandemic, people have been incredibly eager to return to the real-life experience but Paris is not a cheap destination so this may be playing a part, particularly where visitors from outside Europe are concerned.
“A lot also depends on the expectations of fans in France. The hopes attached to Team GB athletes ahead of London 2012 were unprecedented. So French fans could be asking themselves Can we win a lot of medals?’ because they’ll want to experience the equivalent of our own super Saturday success.
“[Market researcher] Nielsen has predicted the French team will move from eighth to fifth in the medal table but TeamGB are forecast to achieve third place.”
The Olympics are facing a number of core issues as chiefs look to move beyond Tokyo 2020, where fans were banned due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Brit backing
The International Olympic Committee have also faced calls to see the financial impact lessened, with Paris building just one stadium for this year’s summer Games.
“Britain’s proximity to the Games is good news for the French as it’s very likely British fans will make a late dash over the Channel to back British athletes as they do all over the world in every sport,” Hopkins added.
“Commercially, the enthusiasm for Team GB hasn’t waned over the decade or so since London 2012 with the British Olympic Association having attracted sponsors as diverse as Adidas, Dreams and Old El Paso to support the team in Paris.
“That underlines the abiding appeal of the Olympics to the UK audience, something the French will be seeking to trigger come the summer.”