Sport

Olympics tickets: All you need to know about the ‘surprise ticketing phase’ for Paris

Select tickets for every sport will be made available from Thursday and this phase is open to all on a first-come, first-served basis

Some seven million tickets will be sold in total for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games which begin in the French capital next July. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images
Some seven million tickets will be sold in total for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games which begin in the French capital next July. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images
Ian O'Riordan
Wed Feb 07 2024 - 06:00

This, by their own admission, is “the home straight”, one of the last opportunities to purchase tickets for the Paris Olympics before the 33rd Games begin in July. Only 169 days to go!

The Paris 2024 Organising Committee are also calling it their “surprise ticketing phase”, announcing new availability for all 45 sports across the 41 different venues from 9am on Thursday morning (10am CET) to coincide with the official unveiling of the Paris Olympic medal design (hint: they only come in gold, silver, and bronze.)

Some numbers first: around seven million tickets in all are available worldwide and, while the majority of those are sold, around two million remain, to be spread across the 45 sports (including four new ones) and 48 disciplines, over 750 sessions, for the 41 competition venues in and around Paris and France.

Select tickets for every sport will be made available from Thursday and, unlike the initial ticket sale through the lottery system beginning in February of last year, this sale phase is open to all, without a draw, on a first-come, first-served basis. When they’re gone, etc.

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For the first time in Olympic history, tickets are being sold exclusively on a centralised platform, via the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, thus open to all fans worldwide at the same time.

For more see www.tickets.paris2024.org

Is this my last chance to buy tickets?

On this open scale of things, yes. New tickets will go on sale for all 45 sports, across all 758 sessions. This includes tickets and sessions that were previously sold out, or secured before the capacity of each venue was finalised.

What dates are we talking about again?

The Paris Olympics will take place between Friday, July 26th and Sunday, August 11th; handball, football and rugby Sevens take place from July 24th.

How much will a ticket cost?

Some tickets for the headline finals in athletics cost as much as €990, although the price of a single session is around €24 (in line with the prices of the London and Tokyo editions when inflation is taken into account). Organisers say that around 45 per cent of the tickets going on sale on Thursday will be priced under €100.

What are the limits on ticket purchases?

A maximum of 30 Olympic tickets can be purchased by the same ticketing account, with previous orders included in that total. Around 95 per cent of the new tickets on sale will be for events taking place in Ile-de-France, the competition venues spread in and around Paris.

This includes tickets to the equestrian events at the Château de Versailles, fencing in Grand Palais or the tennis competition in the Roland-Garros Stadium.

Is there any other way of buying a ticket?

Only through the hospitality packages, which allows people to purchase food, drink and accommodation as well as tickets. The Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) is not involved in any sale of tickets, nor the national sports federations. It is a centralised system that is run by the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, helping to ensure no tickets end up in the wrong hands,

What about the Opening Ceremony?

The Paris Organising Committee originally announced an estimate of 600,000 people would attend the open event down along a 6km stretch of the Seine on July 26th, only this has now been reduced to 300,000 ticketed fans. Around 100,000 tickets have already been sold for the best seats on the lower banks of the river, with 200,000 being made available for “free” through their official ticketing portal.

Anything else?

Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paralympic Games will also be made available, including those for the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games at the Stade de France on September 8th.

Can I pay by cash?

Eh, no. Visa cards only.

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Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan is an Irish Times sports journalist writing on athletics