Featured Image: Luca Dugaro on Unsplash
Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet has responded to Sebastian Coe’s comments that tickets for next year’s Olympic Games were too expensive, by claiming that they were cheaper than London 2012.
Coe is the current president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and was chairman of the organising committee for London 2012.
According to reports, Coe said that the cost of attending athletics finals at next summer’s Games in Paris could stop genuine fans from attending, while also leading to empty seats. Prices were reported as high as €990 (£857/$1086) for Category First seats, while Category A-D tickets cost €690, €385, €195 or €85.
As reported by the Guardian, Estanguet said: “A third of our budget is made up of ticket sales. That’s why there are also some very expensive tickets. For athletics, the finals start at €85, but there are also more expensive tickets at €980. As far as prices are concerned, if I look at what has happened in relation to previous editions in London or even Tokyo, we can see that we are in roughly the same price range.
“In London, the price was £20, which, with inflation, works out at around €27, and the maximum price was £725 – which, with inflation, works out at just over €1,000 today. These prices are therefore slightly higher than those charged by Paris 2024. That was 12 years ago, so our prices are within the norm for such an exceptional experience.”
Estanguet added: “Today, our ticketing figures are absolutely unprecedented. We’re delighted with the approach we’ve taken to make the event accessible to as many people as possible, with tickets starting at €24 (one million seats) and half the tickets at €50 or less.”
Share this