Paris 2024 Olympic Games: free metro, ticket prices, “no Olympic tax”… The broken promises of the Olympic Games

Plusieurs engagements envolés depuis la candidature. MAXPPP – Pierrick DELOBELLE

the essential Since Paris' candidacy for the Olympic Games and their winning in 2017, the project has undergone multiple adjustments by the organizers (Cojo), the State and communities. Inventory of initial commitments which disappeared in seven years.

Popular Olympics?

The price of tickets, considered too high by many, has undermined the promise of popular Games, even if the organizers assure that tickets are in the same range as for the London Olympics.

Another question: the unprecedented opening ceremony on the Seine has undergone a serious facelift. Announced in 2021, it was not in the application file but had long been in the minds of Emmanuel Macron, the socialist mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and the organizers.

After an initial battle between the Paris town hall, which wanted as many people as possible, and much more cautious public authorities, it was announced that it could accommodate 600,000 spectators. ;nbsp;: 500,000 free on the high platforms and 100,000 paid on the low platforms.

But, for security reasons, there are now 222,000 free spectators in addition to paid spectators (100,000). And the philosophy has changed: no longer a question of trying your luck from all over France. It is now by invitation, in particular from the State, Cojo and local authorities, that the lucky ones will be designated.

Residents of working-class neighborhoods, associations and people whose lives have been disrupted by the preparation for the Olympics must be invited. In the end, the public should be more numerous than at the Stade de France.

"The Games finance the Games"? The State and communities too

Contrary to the widely held idea in public opinion, it is mainly private money that finances the Games. But, contrary to what the executive asserted for months with its slogan "The Games finance the Games", the State and communities also put their hands in their pockets.

By the fall of 2023, they had already invested more than 2.4 billion euros of public money in infrastructure, urban works, but also in the anti-doping laboratory, etc., according to official documents. A new boost from the state for the Paralympic Games, to the tune of 30 million euros, was recently under discussion.

The total bill is not yet known. It will be necessary to include in particular the costs related to public security and the bonuses distributed to civil servants, primarily the police. “No Olympic tax”, repeated Emmanuel Macron. But there are indeed expenses related to the Olympic Games in the State's accounts.

The first president of the Court of Auditors, Pierre Moscovici, indicated that public investments could reach between “three” and “five billion euros”. Response after the Olympic Games.

From free metro to four-euro ticket

The application file provided that "all ticket holders would be able to travel free of charge on the entire Île-de-France& quot;. This will ultimately not be the case. The decision was taken in December 2022 during the budget review of the organizing committee, in order to save money.

Several months later, Île-de-France mobilities (IDFM), which manages transport in the Ile-de-France region, announced special JO pricing: 4 euros per metro ticket, under increasing the frequency of lines by 15% during the Olympics. That's almost double the usual price.

No Olympic swimming in the Olympic pool

One of the only sports facilities built for the Olympic Games is the Olympic Aquatic Center (CAO) in Saint-Denis. But, it will not accommodate swimming. Located opposite the Stade de France, the CAO and its impressive wooden frame will host water polo, diving and synchronized swimming.

Indeed, to face the risk of budgetary drift, this building, built with public funds, was resized. Exit swimming, the king of sports moved to temporary pools installed in the west of Paris, at La Défense Arena.

Environment, a positive contribution to a simple reduction of emissions

The organizers initially announced a contribution "positive" with the idea of ​​compensating more than CO2 emissions than those that will be emitted. This notion has been abandoned, criticized by environmental defenders who believe that it gives the misleading illusion of a painless event.

Cojo's objective is now to halve CO2 emissions compared to the previous Olympics. They are made up of a third of travel, another for construction and a final third for activities directly linked to the Games, according to the Cojo.