Nothing is simple for the Paris 2024 OCOG when it comes to ticketing. The first phase, selling tickets in packs, sparked controversy. The second phase, with single tickets, gave it even more impetus. The third phase, which opens on Wednesday July 5 at 10 a.m., promises to be calmer. But there’s no guarantee that it won’t rekindle discontent.
On paper, things look much simpler. This time, there’s no draw for a 48-hour purchasing window. The ticket sales platform opens mid-morning for everyone, with no running order.
But the rest is a little less clear-cut. As the OCOG patiently explained to the media on Tuesday July 4, the tickets offered to the public are for all sports. In total, just under 3 million tickets, including around 150,000 at the introductory price of 24 euros. Cool.
But the method chosen by the organizers to sell off these stocks – made up essentially of previously unsold tickets and seats initially reserved for logistical contingencies (camera locations, in particular) – is sorely lacking in clarity.
As of this Wednesday, July 5, tickets offered on the platform concern exclusively events organized outside Paris and the Ile-de-France region: the basketball preliminary phase (24 to 200 euros) and the handball final phase (45 to 320 euros) in Lille, soccer matches in Nice, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, Marseille and Sant-Etienne (24 to 200 euros), sailing in Marseille (24 euros).
“We’re starting with a sale dedicated to the territories“, explains the OCOG. I don’t see why not.
The remainder, the places still unsold or released for the Paris and Ile-de-France events, will go on sale at a later date. “As we go along“, say the organizers. But when? How many? A mystery. In response to these questions, the OCOG has come up with its eternal formula: “We’re not communicating on that.”
All we know is that information on when the various sports will go on sale, “as we go along“, will be provided mainly by the Paris 2024 Club, whose membership is now said to be approaching 4 and a half million.
Another clue: the number of places still available could disappoint many. “Several hundred thousand places have been frozen and will gradually be unfrozen, explains the OCOG. But they will sometimes be in very small numbers, especially for reduced-gauge sports.” For urban sports at the Concorde, in particular, the stock looks slim. The same goes for track cycling at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome.
There will be around 4,000 places left for the opening ceremony on Friday July 26 on the Seine, but in category A. At a high price: 2,700 euros. But the OCOG refused to say when they would appear on the ticket sales platform.
Final clarification: the quota of a maximum of 30 tickets per person – and 4 to 6 per session – introduced at the launch of ticketing, remains valid for this third phase.
