The maximum number of spectators who will be able to watch the event live opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Gamesnext July 26th on the banks of the Seine, has been drastically lowered to «around 300,000»: the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, said this this morning.
“The idea – the minister said on France 2 after announcing 600,000 spectators in October 2022 – is that there will be 100,000 people on the lower banks” with paid tickets, and “over 220,000 people on the high banks”, with free tickets. “Then – he continued – there are all those who live or who want to be able to rent, organize an evening along the Seine”.
The previous figures, by Darmanin himself, announced before the Senate in October 2022 – were “600,000 spectators” of which 500,000 on the high banks. When he was asked the question again, in May 2023 at the signing of the security protocol on the ceremony, the minister had repeated the figure of 600,000.
