05 Dec 2022 – The opening of the Paris 2024 ticketing programme, the successful launch of the ”Phryges” mascots, and the efforts being made to balance its budget highlighted the continued progress made by the Paris 2024 Organising Committee in recent months.

Presenting to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board (EB) earlier today, Paris 2024 detailed a number of key milestones celebrated since its last update in September, while also explaining plans to transition into the operational delivery phase of Games preparations.

One of the highlights was the opening of registrations for the Olympic Games ticketing draw. Registration remains open until 31 January, with fans wanting to attend the Olympic Games in 2024 able to sign up at any time until then in order to have the chance to enter the draw to buy ticket packs. The next milestone for ticketing will be in February 2023, when ticket pack sales begin. In addition, public hospitality sales will begin in early 2023, with the launch of the first hospitality e-commerce global platform.

The opening of ticket registrations followed the launch of the Paris 2024 mascots in November. The “Phryges” [pronounced free-jes], have already resonated well with fans, with initial research showing that the mascots were well received by around 75 per cent of the French population, which rose to 83 per cent amongst children aged from 6 to 17 years.

The IOC EB also received a summary of the extensive work being undertaken to optimise the Paris 2024 budget. The Organising Committee’s efforts take into account a much more detailed knowledge of the costs of the project, the impact of inflation and follow revisions made during nine months of extensive work and support from stakeholders.

Paris 2024 explained that its determination to balance budgets has and will continue to benefit from very close collaboration with the IOC and increased revenues from commercial partners and ticketing, as well as additional support from the French State and local authorities for the Paralympic Games.

Further optimisations and efficiencies have also been identified, based on the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the New Norm and measures identified from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Efforts were made to ensure any adaptations had minimal impact on Paris 2024’s innovative vision, ambition and openness.

With regard to venues, the IOC EB heard about the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)’s decision to conditionally approve Lille for the basketball preliminary rounds, with both the Organising Committee and FIBA continuing to work closely on the technical deliverables required for competition in 2024.

In addition, Paris 2024 summarised a number of other key announcements since the last IOC EB meeting. One of the highlights was the announcement of the Marathon route, while the appointment of Thomas Jolly as Artistic Director for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies was also noted.

The World Press Briefing was another major stakeholder event held in recent months, allowing the team in Paris to showcase their city and plans for the Games. More than 330 representatives of the main media and press agencies attended, giving them important information about Games-time media operations and an opportunity to visit some of the iconic venues that will be used in 2024.

Looking ahead to an important year, one of the early milestones will be the launch of Paris 2024’s search for volunteers as it aims to recruit 45,000 by Games time. This, along with the ticketing and mascot campaigns, will be promoted through the Paris 2024 Club. Now with over one million members, the Club continues to get people active and engaged in the Games.

The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will take place between 26 July and 11 August, followed by the Paralympic Games from 28 August until 8 September.