PARIS: Four million applications were received for an online lottery where winners get to buy tickets for next year’s Paris Olympics, the local organizing committee said Friday.
They hope to sell 1.3 million tickets for the 2024 Games as a result of the latest draw.
Applications ended Thursday evening and winners will know early next month if they have been successful. They can start buying from May 11 and have a 48-hour timeslot to do so. They’ll be told 48 hours beforehand when their slot is.
Figures on which countries the 4 million lottery applications came from, and whether more men or women applied, were not available. The five countries who bought the most tickets, and other statistics, will be made known after the sale has finished in June.
By then, organizers expect that about half of the 10 million tickets for the Paris Games will have been sold.
A total of 3.2 million tickets were sold from the first phase of sales, featuring packages, with the top buyers coming from Britain and the United States. Phase 1 ended on March 15, which is also when online applications for the lottery and the second phase of single-ticket sales began.
The Paris Games, which run from July 26-Aug. 11, 2024, will feature 32 sports and 48 disciplines across 37 sites.
Tickets will be available in five categories according to price range, with a maximum of six for any event, including the opening ceremony.
PRICE RANGES
To watch the opening ceremony, which will feature thousands of Olympic athletes on boats cruising along the River Seine, spectators will pay from 90 euros ($99) to 2,700 euros ($2,960) — the most expensive ticket of all.
The cheapest tickets for all other events start at only 24 euros ($26), and 4 million of the 10 million tickets for the Paris Games cost 50 euros ($55) or less.
Tickets for the women’s 100-meter final on Aug. 3 are 690 euros ($758) for the best seats. For the men’s 100 final the next day, it’s 980 euros ($1,076).
Tickets for the men’s basketball final on Aug. 10, which home fans will hope features prodigy Victor Wembanyama, range from 125 euros ($137) to 980 euros ($1,076). The women’s final the following day costs from 95 euros ($104) to 510 euros ($560).
Soccer matches are being held in seven cities with the men’s final on Aug. 9 and the women’s final on Aug. 10 at Parc des Princes in Paris. Both finals are priced from 80 euros ($88) to 300 euros ($329).
Kylian Mbappé, France’s star player at last year’s World Cup, said he wants to play for his country’s soccer team at the Olympics if he gets permission following the month-long European Championship in Germany, which finishes on July 14.
The men’s and women’s skateboard finals also have the same top price — 160 euros ($176) — and take place near the iconic Place de la Concorde, one the city’s major public squares.
While tickets can also be purchased for friends and family, they are not for re-sale other than on the official Paris Games platform.
Those who were not successful in the lottery will also be informed by email. They are encouraged to stay connected for future ticket opportunities at the end of 2023, although it was not yet clear under what format.
The budget for the Paris Olympics is estimated at 4.3 billion euros ($4.7 billion) with 96 percent of that money funded from television rights, official partnerships, ticket sales and licensed products.
Tickets for the Paralympics go online on Oct. 4 but not in a lottery, with about 3 million tickets expected to be sold.
The 2024 Paralympics will take place from Aug. 28-Sept. 8.
4 million apply for tickets for Paris Olympics in lottery
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4 million apply for tickets for Paris Olympics in lottery
- They hope to sell 1.3 million tickets for the 2024 Games as a result of the latest draw
- Figures on which countries the 4 million lottery applications came from, and whether more men or women applied, were not available
Three LIV Golf wild card spots up for grabs in Florida
- Total of 22 players advance to weekend action, with chance to join 2026 LIV Golf League season
LECANTO, FLORIDA: While South Korea’s Jeunghun Wang and others at the top of Friday’s leaderboard at LIV Golf Promotions advanced comfortably into the weekend at Black Diamond Ranch, former wild card player Anthony Kim faced an 8-foot birdie putt to decide his fate on the final hole.
Kim rolled in the putt, arguably his biggest clutch moment in the two years since returning to pro golf from a 12-year retirement, to shoot a 1-under 69 and make the cut on the number.
A total of 22 players among the field of 47 in the second round moved on to compete for the three open wild card positions for the 2026 LIV Golf League season. Scores will now reset for the final 36 holes.
Kim is one of seven players Friday to sneak in on the number and is the only remaining American of the 12 who started the week in the field. His final birdie at the par-4 18th capped off a rollercoaster finish that included a chip-in to save par at the 13th hole after his tee shot found the water, along with bounce-back birdies after each of the two bogeys he made in the final five holes.
“We can talk about rollercoasters on the round today, but my life has been a pretty big rollercoaster, so this is pretty smooth for me,” said the 40-year-old Kim, who was exempt into the second round after suffering relegation on LIV Golf last season.
Another former LIV Golf player, Australian Matt Jones, is hoping to earn a wild card spot after playing all 50 LIV Golf tournaments as a member of Ripper GC during the first four seasons. Jones started strong on Friday and was 4 under at the turn before hanging on to shoot 69 after making three bogeys in a five-hole stretch to start his back nine.
Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent also advanced by shooting 69. Vincent is the only player in the field to have previous Promotions success, earning one of the three spots in 2023 that placed him on Jon Rahm’s expansion Legion XIII team in 2024.
Wang, meanwhile, continued his early-week success in LIV Golf Promotions, shooting a 5-under 65 to lead the field on Friday. In 2024, Wang shot the best opening round in Promotions and tied for third best in the following round but could not keep up the pace on the 36-hole final-day finish. He is glad to see the format change to 18 holes over two days this weekend.
“It’s more comfortable for me to play 18, 18,” said Wang, who was exempt from Round 1 due to his International Series status. “I’m really excited to play the next two days. I’ll just give it my best.”
Canadian Richard T. Lee, whose 6-under 64 was the lowest score in Thursday’s first round, followed with a 66 on Friday as one of Wang’s three closest pursuers. His round was fueled by eagles on both of the par-5 holes, with his 5-wood second shot at the ninth hole settling to 5 feet, and his 5-iron from a waste bunker at the 16th finished within 3 feet.
Like Wang, Lee has made the weekend for the second consecutive Promotions tournament but has not converted that into a LIV Golf spot.
“I played 6 under yesterday and 4 under, and I think that’s plenty good enough for this course,” said Lee, who is seeking to become the first Canadian player on LIV Golf.
Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana — who played in LIV Golf’s inaugural 2022 season — and Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren matched Lee’s 66, while nine players shot 67.
As for Kim, he managed to survive-and-advance on a tough day after a performance he called a “5” on a scale to 10. But like the other 21 competitors still alive at Black Diamond Ranch, he is hoping to find some magic during the last 36 holes to earn one of the coveted LIV Golf spots.
“This is what I signed up for,” Kim said. “I’m glad that I got to be in that position and have to make a birdie to get into the next two rounds. There’s a long way to go, but I feel really good about it going into this weekend.”
