IOC President: Paris 2024 on track to be Games of a new era
In a joint press briefing between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Paris 2024, IOC President Thomas Bach said that, thanks to the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020 and the ambition of organisers, the Olympic Games Paris 2024 are on track to deliver exceptional Games that are more sustainable, more inclusive, more urban and more youthful, all of which “gives us full confidence that these will be Games of a new era”.
Speaking at the halfway point of the Games, the IOC President reflected on the beauty of Paris 2024’s iconic venues and the stunning athlete performances, backed up by record-breaking broadcast and engagement numbers.
The IOC President said: “France and the French people have welcomed the world with open arms and open hearts, and given the world a glimpse of France – and a glimpse of the passion of the French people for sport.
“Millions of people on the streets of Paris, full venues everywhere, an unrivalled atmosphere, at the swimming, at the rugby, at the sailing in Marseille – and you have never seen fencing until you have seen it in the Grand Palais, where thousands of people are singing and cheering for every competitor in a magnificent setting. The triathlon was simply sensational – or, should I say, ‘SEINE-sational’.
“The athletes love it,” the IOC President added. “And this overall excitement is a two-way street. The athletes, with their passion and the unprecedented quality of the competition, inspire the audience; and the audience lift the spirit of the athletes.”
Exceptional Games in exceptional venues
The IOC President was joined by Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet, who believes the country is basking in a historic, shared experience.
What we’ve been experiencing over the past eight days is historic,. Something incredible is happening in France. The whole country is rallying together to deliver exceptional Games in exceptional venues.
“We were ambitious,” Estanguet added. “We chose venues in Paris and the Île-de-France region to showcase a capital city that has incredible legacy and heritage. We see the fervour and the atmosphere in our stadiums, which is extremely heartwarming for the French population, but also for the spectators who have come from around the world, and who are sharing in a historic moment.”
The halfway point: Paris 2024 by numbers
The broadcast and digital figures back up the feeling that athletes, spectators at the venues and fans all over the world are experiencing – that Paris 2024 is hosting Olympic Games of a new era:
- Over 9.2 million tickets have been sold so far.
- Over 2 million people have already attended Paris 2024 celebration sites across France.
- In France, the Opening Ceremony broadcast by France Télévisions attracted a record 23.4 million viewers, representing an 83.3 per cent audience share.
- In the USA, NBCUniversal reported that Paris 2024 consumption on the streaming platform Peacock had already topped the total of Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 combined – after only three days.
- Warner Bros. Discovery, the Media Rights-Holder for Europe, exceeded the total unique streaming viewers for Tokyo 2020 in the first two days of Paris 2024.
- In Japan, up until 1 August, Olympic programming has been watched for one minute or more by 97.14 million viewers – 82.7 per cent of the total Japanese audience.
- On the Olympic social media handles, more than 8.5 billion engagements have been counted to date, already 40 per cent more than during the entire Tokyo 2020 period.
All these audiences benefit from the incredible images of Paris and France going to the world thanks to Olympic Broadcasting Services and our Media Rights-Holders, Therefore, we can say with great confidence that we are on track for more than half of the world’s population to follow the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Sport, and more than sport
Just as important as the engagement and interest Paris 2024 is delivering is what it represents. These are the first Games with full gender parity on the field of play. And with athletes from the territories of all 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team living peacefully together under one roof, these Games are providing a powerful symbol of peace.
In this world torn apart by wars and conflicts, we remain the only event in the world that can bring the entire world together at this moment,. In the Olympic Village, our mission to unite the world in peaceful competition is brought to life. This is a mission we got from our founder, Pierre de Coubertin, and this is a mission Paris 2024 is helping us to deliver.
The stage is set
With nine days of competition left and hundreds of medals still to be decided, the second week of Paris 2024 promises to continue delivering thrilling action and stunning venues while setting new broadcast and digital records.
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 began on 26 July and will finish on 11 August. The Paralympic Games will then run from 28 August until 8 September. Tickets for both Games can be purchased here.