Why are there still tickets available for the 2024 Paris Olympics?

There are still big-event tickets available for the public to buy more than a week after the 2024 Paris Olympics began — including the men’s and women’s showcase 100m finals.

Despite organisers saying more tickets have been sold than ever before, with eight million of the 10million tickets available going on general sale, they are yet to shift all of their tickets for track and field events.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Olympics website was still showing availability for Friday night’s men’s 10,000m final, with the first round of the women’s 800m race also taking place at the Stade de France. The cheapest tickets remaining start at €195 ($210; £165) because the €85 ($92; £72) price category has sold out.

Although they are on the pricier side — €690 ($744; £582) — there is still availability to attend Saturday night’s track and field events, which includes the women’s 100m semi-finals and final, as well as the 4x400m relay mixed final.

One of the Games’ showcase events, the men’s 100m final, likely to feature Team USA star Noah Lyles, is showing availability, with tickets still on general sale for €525 ($566; £443). The cheapest option, which is now sold out, was a Category D ticket, costing €125 ($135; £105).

Tickets costing €170 ($183; £143) remain on sale — the cheapest ticket before selling out cost €24 ($26; £20) — for round one of the men’s and women’s 4x100m relay race on August 8.

Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics who was head of the 2012 London Olympics organising committee, has previously raised concerns about the price of tickets in Paris.

“These are going to be the most expensive ticket prices in an athletics arena that we have witnessed at an Olympic Games,” Lord Coe said in December, “I don’t want fans, athletes and their families being costed out of the stadium.”

Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organising committee, responded to Lord Coe’s comments and defended their prices.

“If I look at what has happened relating to previous editions in London or even Tokyo, we are in roughly the same price range,” Estanguet said.

“In London, the minimum 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.”

Away from track and field, there are still plenty of other events that have tickets costing €15 ($16; £13) available, including Friday night’s men’s football quarter-final between Spain and Japan.

At the other end of the scale, only hospitality tickets remain on sale for the men’s basketball final, which could feature Team USA’s star-studded team made up of LeBron James and Steph Curry, among others.

These tickets would cost you €6,500 ($7,000; £5,500) and include an off-site hospitality package at the Eiffel Tower.

Of the 10million tickets for the Paris Olympics, two million were reserved for hospitality and stakeholders.

General sale tickets, which need to be purchased via the official Olympics website, were sold in multiple phases and initially included entering a ballot system, with successful applicants having to buy tickets for at least three different events.

Events such as climbing and BMX freestyle sold out on the first day, with track cycling, fencing and judo also selling out within a few days.

There is, of course, one other option: unless you want to sit in the purpose-built stands, for certain events, including the men’s and women’s marathon and this weekend’s road cycling races, you can line the streets for free.

(Header photo: Olivier Chassignole/AFP via Getty Images)