The Paris 2024 OCOG has been repeating it like a refrain for almost six years, often putting its money where its mouth is: next year, the Olympic Games and their Paralympic counterpart will become one. A single event, with both chapters treated with equal care and attention.
A year ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (August 28 to September 8), this Monday the Paris organizers drove the point home. After unveiling an almost identical venue map, the same slogan, logo and mascots, they are now unveiling a new proof. It’s a formula, unveiled on the symbolic date of D – 1 year: “The return match“.
Next year, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be the second leg of a two-stage event. This is nothing new: the Japanese at Tokyo 2020 also envisaged the Paralympic event with the same egalitarian ambition. But the Paris OCOG is wrapping it in a more sophisticated formulation.
The same, then. With one difference: the ticket office. It will officially open on Monday October 9, the day after the second Paralympic Day, scheduled for the Place de la République in the heart of Paris. Just over ten months to go until the opening ceremony. On Monday August 28, the OCOG unveiled the process, pricing and new features. They differ markedly from the Olympic version.
The first difference is that, from October 9, the official ticket sales platform for Paralympic events will offer tickets for all sports and all sessions, including the opening and closing ceremonies. This means that all items will be on the shelves at the same time, unlike the Olympic Games, where the most coveted events were excluded from the first phase, dedicated to sales in packs.
As for the Olympic Games, the OCOG has set a maximum of 30 tickets per person, with a ceiling of 10 tickets per sports session and four for the ceremonies.
In all, some 2.8 million tickets will be on sale. The French government has purchased 300,000. The City of Paris, less greedy, has purchased 30,000.
What are the prices? Affordable. Barring an extremely unlikely scenario, the COJO is unlikely to see a new controversy over the cost of tickets blow up in its face. No less than 80% of tickets will be priced at 50 euros or less. They will be sold individually. The price range for sports tickets will be between 15 and 70 euros, with a ceiling price of up to 100 euros if the luxury of hospitality service is added.
The exception is the opening ceremony. Set in the prestigious Place de la Concorde at the foot of the Champs-Elysées, it will cost between 150 and 700 euros. For the closing ceremony, at the Stade de France, the COJO has lowered the price: 45 to 450 euros per seat.
New: the launch of discovery passes. For the single price of 24 euros, it will be possible to attend several sessions in two targeted geographical areas: Paris center (3 to 7 sessions) for cecifoot, archery, taekwondo, wheelchair rugby, judo and fencing; and Paris sud (6 or 7 sessions) for boccia, goalball and table tennis at Porte de Versailles.
Another new feature is a family formula. Two tickets purchased will entitle the holder to two others at 10 euros, for children aged 12 and under.
Finally, the COJO has given the notion of hospitality, traditionally very corporate, if not downright elitist, a more general public veneer. Two formulas are on the menu. They concern the eight most coveted sports, including athletics, swimming, wheelchair basketball, equestrian sports and wheelchair rugby.
The first, a classic, is aimed at companies. In addition to competitions, it offers access to shared lounges. The second, presented as a more family-friendly option, offers not only tickets for the events, but also a “fan kit” consisting of a snack, a drink and goodies.
