athlete Jimmy Gressier is outraged by the “astronomical” price of event seats

Athlete Jimmy Gressier, French cross-country champion 2023, ranted on his social networks. The 26-year-old runner, originally from Boulogne-sur-Mer in the North – in the same neighborhood as footballer Franck Ribéry – is one of the great talents of French athletics and has announced his intention to participate in the next Paris Olympics. 2024 in the middle distance races, the 5,000 and 1,500. And like all athletes, Jimmy Gressier would like his relatives to come and encourage him at the Stade de France during the athletics competitions, but that won’t be possible.

>> Paris 2024: single tickets, available finals, prices… Three questions on the second phase of ticketing for the Olympic Games

In question the price of tickets and the system for obtaining seats. “I saw that athletics tickets were being sold at an astronomical price, from €290 to €995 per seat! I find it really abused”, is outraged on Instagram. A rant shared by many Internet users, sports enthusiasts or onlookers interested in attending the Olympic events, for several days on the networks. It should be noted however that there were places for athletics between 24 and 40 euros, but which obviously went away very quickly and that it took a maximum of luck to get them.

A third phase at the end of 2023

As a top athlete, the International Olympic Committee only offered him two places for the entire Games. However, he can buy four more without going through the sales platform. So Jimmy Gressier did the math of him: “If I want to bring ten people from my family, it will cost me between €6,000 and €7,000. It’s totally out of budget!”

A third and final sales phase is planned for individual tickets, this time without a draw, at the end of 2023. But for many, the Games will take place on TV, in order not to be able to grab a coveted place.