(Paris) More than 12 million tickets have been sold for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, with organizers proclaiming an “unprecedented success” on Friday.
The 12,132,647 tickets sold represent 95% of the capacity of the stadiums and venues for the Olympic and Paralympic competitions, revealed Tony Estanguet, president of the Games organizing committee.
“We knew how complicated it could be to organize an event of this magnitude and we can now say that we are very happy that everything went well,” Estanguet said at a press conference in Saint-Denis.
Estanguet stressed that the Paris Games had set a new benchmark for spectators and engagement. For the final night of the Paralympic Athletics Games on September 7, 67,500 tickets were sold at the Stade de France, the highest number for a session this summer.
“There was a bit of audacity in challenging ourselves to do things that had never been done before,” Estanguet said, referring to the Olympic and Paralympic opening ceremonies held outside stadiums and competitions held near prestigious landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles.
Estanguet said the innovative approach had attracted the interest of organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles Games, who have been following the Paris team throughout the summer.
He also announced that organizers from Paris and Los Angeles will meet several times in the coming months to share their thoughts between Games.