PARIS: Parisians are the main buyers of tickets for the Paralympic Games, organizers said, rushing to grab a second opportunity to see competitions in some of the Games’ spectacular venues, after many chose to snub the Olympics or missed out on tickets.
In July, Parisians had left the city in droves ahead of the Olympics, with entire neighborhoods turned eerily quiet as residents decamped as they feared the disturbance and traffic problems many thought the Games would bring.
But the Games turned out to be a global success. The Paralympics will allow them to see Olympic sports in the same venues, including at the feet of the Eiffel Tower or in the gardens of the Versailles castle outside Paris.
Organizers said that of the more than 1.75 million tickets already sold ahead of the Aug. 28 start of the Paralympics, 92 percent came from French buyers, with buyers from the Ile-de-France region around Paris taking the lion’s share of 73 percent.
Parisian Mathieu Bucella is set to boost these numbers a little further.
“I’m seriously thinking about it because I’m a bit annoyed that I didn’t think of getting tickets for the (Olympic) Games, so this is my second chance,” he said.
Organizers said several sessions were nearly sold out already, notably wheelchair fencing and para taekwondo in Grand Palais, para track cycling in Saint Quentin, para equestrian in Chateau de Versailles and blind football at Champ de Mars.
“We were watching the Olympic Games on TV, but after that you get that gut feeling that you want to come and see everything with your own eyes,” Mexican tourist Arlet Haro said.
US tourist Asad Rahman said he was glad to have come to Paris for the Paralympics.
“Things are a little bit more open than what we heard with the Olympics, where they closed off some areas. So it works out, as a tourist,” he said by the Eiffel Tower, where workers were converting the beach volleyball pitch into a blind football pitch.
Heavy security during the Olympics made movement across the city center difficult as many key thoroughfares were blocked.
The Paralympics will run until Sept. 8.
Paralympics tickets popular with Parisians who snubbed the Olympics
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Paralympics tickets popular with Parisians who snubbed the Olympics
- In July, Parisians had left the city in droves ahead of the Olympics as they feared the disturbance and traffic problems many thought the Games would bring
Harry Styles announces first album in 4 years, ‘Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally’
- It follows the critically acclaimed synth pop “Harry’s House,” which earned the former One Direction star album of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards
- “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” will contain 12 tracks and is executive produced by Kid Harpoon
NEW YORK: In this world, it’s just him: Harry Styles has announced that his long-awaited, fourth studio album will arrive this spring.
Titled “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” and out March 6, the album is Styles’ first full-length project in four years. It follows the 2022, critically acclaimed synth pop record “Harry’s House,” which earned the former One Direction star the top prize of album of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
In a review, The Associated Press celebrated “Harry’s House” for showcasing “a breadth of style that matches the album’s emotional range.”
On Instagram, Styles’ shared the cover artwork for “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” which features the 31-year-old artist in a T-shirt and jeans at night, standing underneath a shimmering disco ball hung outside.
According to a press release, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” will contain 12 tracks and is executive produced by Kid Harpoon. The British songwriter and producer has been a close collaborator of Styles’ since the beginning of his solo career, working on all of his albums since the singer’s 2017 self-titled debut.
“Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” is now available for preorder.
It is also Styles’ first project since his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne died in 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
