The Paris 2024 Olympics will open tonight (Friday, 20:30, Sport 5) with a special and unusual opening ceremony. For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the ceremony will not be held inside a stadium but in the Seine River and its banks. This move reflects the slogan of the games, "Games Wide Open", and emphasizes the organizers' attempt to make the event accessible to as many people as possible.
Over 300 thousand people each will be able to enjoy the opening ceremony in person, an unprecedented number compared to previous opening ceremonies. Many of the tickets were given away for free. For those who will not be able to get tickets, 80 huge screens have been placed around the city, allowing free viewing of the ceremony. In addition, approximately 1.5 billion people from around the world are expected to watch the telecast of the ceremony, making it one of the largest global events.
The main artistic event at the ceremony will be the appearance of the Grammy Award winner, Celine Dion. The famous singer is expected to receive two million dollars for her participation in the historic event, and this for the performance of only one song.
Economically, the cost of the Olympics in Paris is estimated at 8.2 billion dollars. Despite the huge amount, it is not the most expensive Olympics in history. In fact, it is the sixth most expensive Olympics of all the Winter and Summer Games held in the past. The most expensive Olympic Games were held in Sochi, Russia in 2014 (Winter Games), at a staggering cost of nearly $25 billion.
Despite the large investment, hosting the Olympics is not a very profitable business. The last countries that hosted the Olympic Games suffered significant economic losses. Brazil, for example, lost about 2 billion dollars in the Rio 2016 Olympics, and Japan estimated losses of about 800 million dollars following the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (mainly due to the lack of tourists due to the corona virus).
However, Paris is hoping for more positive results. For the various sports events that will be held as part of the Olympics, over 2.5 million tickets were sold to non-French residents. In addition, it is estimated that many tourists will arrive during the games, and the city expects revenues of approximately 2.8 billion dollars from tourism.
In conclusion, the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 mark several historical landmarks, both in terms of the accessibility of the events to the general public and in terms of the scope of investment and economic expectations. While the economic challenges are clear, the organizers hope that the innovation and open approach will lead to both sporting and economic success.
