Back in 2022, the crypto community was raving as French authorities dabbled on a chance of having blockchain-based ticketing for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. The consideration was made following security concerns at that year’s Champions League final due to counterfeit tickets.
Back then, the president of the Paris Organizing Committee, Tony Estanguet, emphasized leveraging local expertise for the new system. The inter-ministerial delegate to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Michel Cadot, overseeing the 2024 Games, has submitted a detailed report outlining the blockchain plan.
The report included ‘non-transferable’ tickets with a virtual security perimeter. These tickets were to be activated via QR codes and would disintegrate upon entry. The system is also planned for the 2023 Rugby World Cup and has been utilized by major French sporting events.
This move would mirror UPCX’s involvement in the World Aquatics Championships in Doha from February 2-18, 2024. The open-source payment system developer on a high-speed blockchain sealed the deal as the official blockchain payment sponsor for the event. In the same spirit, India’s Olympic Committee rewarded digital assets to medalists from the Tokyo Olympics through blockchain.
However, fast forward to this year, there’s no further discussion about utilizing the blockchain in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. The organizers have started selling the tickets too, seemingly in a more conventional method. In fact, the official ticketing site doesn’t even mention cryptocurrency as a payment method.
Yet, it’s not like the event is entirely barren from modern advancements. French IT firm Atoz manages accreditation, results, athlete entries, schedules, workforce, and IOC Athletes’ Commission voting. Atos also powered Paris 2024’s volunteer portal. The company has been an Olympic tech provider since 1989 and is the current International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s lead integrator.
Atos’s tech innovations were showcased at the European Games, including personalized video services and Blockchain NFT medals. However, its blockchain prowess won’t be put on the front page this time at the Paris 2024.
Paris 2024 ticket sales
The Olympic Games will span July 26 to August 11, with over 750 sessions across 32 sports and 329 events. The event will have no COVID-19 restrictions, offering full access to athletes’ families and spectators.
Almost 10 million tickets are available, including 3 million for the Paralympics, and all are sold online through a single authorized site. Visa is the official payment method, but additional options like credit cards and UnionPay are also accepted.
Tickets cover over 750 sessions across 32 sports, totaling 329 events. Session types vary by sport, from matches in handball to qualification events in swimming. Breakdancing joins the lineup, while baseball and karate are out.
Tickets start at 24 euros, with medal session prices reaching up to 990 euros. Most opening ceremony tickets are sold out, leaving limited front-and-centre Eiffel Tower view tickets at €2,700. Popular events like swimming and gymnastics are also sold out and currently only available through special “hospitality packages.”
Organizers defend high ticket prices as necessary for the event’s budget, with over 5.2 million tickets sold out of 8 million available to the public. Despite the backlash over €690 gymnastics and €130 tennis tickets, only 5% of tickets cost more than €400.
Athletes like Amandine Buchard criticized the prices, but organizers clarified athletes would get ticket allocations for families. The interior ministry will provide hundreds of thousands of free opening ceremony tickets, with prices for paying guests ranging from €80 to €2,700.
According to a recent report by the Gulf News, 250,000 new tickets will go on sale on April 17. However, organizers urged quick purchases due to high demand.
