400,000, 500,000 or 600,000? The vagueness persists around the number of spectators at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, which will be held on the Seine on July 26, 2024. Asked about this on Tuesday, May 23, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin affirmed twice that “several hundred thousand” people could enjoy the show for free. Without providing an exact figure.
430 days from the start of the Games, Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and the President of the Organizing Committee (Cojo) Tony Estanguet met in Paris to sign a security protocol on the ceremony. It will take the form of a river parade between the Pont d’Austerlitz and the Pont d’Iéna. 35,000 gendarmes and police will be deployed for a gauge of spectators which remains to be determined.
Initially, 600,000 people were expected by the Cojo. “It’s about ten times the capacity of an Olympic stadium”, welcomes Paris 2024 on its site. Spectators must be divided into two groups: 100,000 people on the lower platforms, which guarantee better visibility but to which access is charged, and around 500,000 people on the upper platforms, from where the ceremony will be free. Gérald Darmanin also recalled this gauge, before backpedaling and evoking “several hundred thousand” people.
Backstage tussle
Because if the town hall and the Cojo are enthusiastic, the police headquarters fears overflows. The Ile-de-France region, which manages transport, is also asking for a reduction in the number of spectators. Its president Valérie Pécresse said in February that she feared the network could not absorb the crowds. On the government side, Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra has advanced “400,000 free tickets”. This is also the figure cited by the Senate Olympics monitoring mission in the minutes of a progress report published this week.
Tickets for the lower platforms went on sale this May at prices between 90 and 2,700 euros. As far as the high quays are concerned, the free ticket office will be managed by the Ministry of the Interior. Gérald Darmanin did not specify whether there would be a draw system to deal with the crowds. He only indicated that spectators should register, and come with their ID.
They will thus be able to enjoy a three-hour event, with river parade, artistic show and official ceremony. 115 boats will sail over six kilometres, from the Pont d’Austerlitz to the Pont d’Iéna, with the delegations of athletes. Heads of State and Government from around the world will be present. If Gérald Darmanin did not specify the cost of this opening night, he however estimated that the security of the Olympic Games would require a budget of “200 million euros”. A “first estimate” by the Court of Auditors in the summer of 2022 had mentioned “419 million euros” for state security expenditure.
For now, the opening date of the free ticket office is unknown. But this question is particularly important for the government, which has been facing a controversy over ticket prices for several weeks. The first phase of sales this winter had already triggered criticism. The second phase, launched on May 11, aroused indignation by offering places at 690 euros or 980 euros for key disciplines such as swimming or athletics. “In fact, you have to make loans to the bank so that families and their loved ones can have the chance to come and see us,” mocked judoka Amandine Buchard.