On May 23, the organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games announced that hundreds of thousands of people will be able to attend the opening ceremony of the world's largest sporting event for free.
Authorities are still discussing the number of spectators who will be given free tickets to watch the outdoor performance along the Seine River. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said: “The number of tickets could reach hundreds of thousands, depending on the weather and the level of media coverage for the event.”
According to the organizers, approximately 100,000 tickets will be reserved for prime seating along the riverbank. Another 500,000 tickets will be for spectators in higher positions on the promenades on either side of the river. The athletes will travel on the river in a fleet of 115 boats. This will be the first time the Olympic opening ceremony has been held outside of a stadium.
The initial ticket sales, which took place in February and March, sparked criticism regarding ticket prices as demand far exceeded the available supply. In the latest sales round, which began on May 11th, tickets for paid seating at the opening ceremony reached €2,700 ($2,900) per ticket.
Furthermore, holding the opening ceremony outside the stadium also posed security challenges for the organizers, as approximately 10,000 athletes and 200 heads of state would be present simultaneously in the Seine River area.
Minister Darmanin said that around 37,000 security personnel would be deployed for the ceremony, meaning that French police would be working throughout the duration of the Olympic Games from July 26 to August 11. Around 2,000 to 3,000 private security personnel would also be recruited to ensure security for the event.
Mr. Darmanin emphasized that drones would be the biggest security threat and that France would deploy air defense technology to counter this risk, with testing scheduled for later this year during the Rugby World Cup.
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