Paris 2024 Breaks Historical Ticket Sales Records
The Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games have set a record for ticket sales, with 12.1 million, announced Tony Estanguet, president of the Organizing Committee. These Games have been "a success in terms of audience," both in stadiums and on television, with a "spectacular image" of the French capital.
At a press conference marking the end of the Paralympic Games, Estanguet broke down the numbers, stating that over 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympic competitions and 2.5 million for the Paralympics.
The previous record was set by London 2012, with a total of 10.9 million tickets sold (8.2 million for the Olympics and 2.7 million for the Paralympics).
Estanguet highlighted that Saturday's Paralympic athletics session sold more tickets than any session of the same Olympic competition and that more tickets were sold for Paralympic swimming than for the Olympic counterpart.
Estanguet also noted that in France alone, 45 million people have watched a Paralympic sport on television, and 5 million watched live as the French team won in blind football.
"Paris 2024 will be the new benchmark in every aspect," said Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
Parsons specifically mentioned the athletes' experiences and the "wonderful audience" that filled the stadiums, cheering for the athletes' efforts and achievements.
He also highlighted the surprises in certain sports, such as Brazil failing to win its sixth consecutive gold medal in blind football, or the defeat of Dutch favorite Diede de Groot in wheelchair tennis.
"Para sport is more competitive than ever," he reflected.
At the same press conference, Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France region, praised the smooth operation of public transport and security throughout the summer.
Pécresse focused on the legacy the Games will leave, not only with the extension of metro lines (one finally reaching Orly Airport) and commuter trains but also with the increase in the number of permanent police officers in the region.
She also highlighted the agreement to make the Paris metro and its surrounding region accessible to wheelchair users (currently, only 9% of the 303 metro stations are accessible).
