– I signed up for an interest list for Olympic tickets, but when the tickets came out I had to pay closer to NOK 10,000 for the slightly worse places. With a hotel in addition, this probably won’t be relevant for us, says Henriksen. He is one of those who reacts to the expensive ticket prices during the Olympics in Paris, and thinks it is boring that family and friends may have to watch the Olympic Games from the living room at home in Norway. The hammer thrower is engaged and has two children whom he would like to have with him to Paris, but it does not look like they will be cheering from the sidelines when Henriksen tries to defend the silver medal from Tokyo. REACTS: Eivind Henriksen thinks it’s a shame that ticket prices are so expensive during the Olympics. Photo: Henrik Hegg Johansen / news Head of Sports in the Norwegian Athletics Association, Erlend Slokvik, has received a number of inquiries from athletes and others who wonder if the athletics association has access to tickets. – I understand the frustration of the athletes, and people are despairing. It’s a terrible shame that family and friends may not be able to join the biggest event our athletes will take part in, he says. He summarizes his view of the ticket prices as follows: – It’s absolutely crazy. It seems that it is an Olympics for the rich, where they don’t want ordinary athletics fans, but rather people with a lot of money, says Slokvik. UNDERSTANDS THE FRUSTRATION: Erlend Slokvik is concerned that the Olympics will only be for the rich, and understands the frustration of the athletes. Photo: Anders Engeland IOC defends ticket prices news has looked at the tickets available for the Olympic hammer throw final on 4 August. The cheapest tickets available cost 525 euros, around NOK 6,000. The cheapest tickets that were put out – which are now sold out – cost 125 euros, which corresponds to just over 1,400 Norwegian kroner. In an e-mail to news, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) wrote that 90 percent of all Olympic tickets that were put out did not cost more than 200 euros, equivalent to around 2,285 Norwegian kroner. – There has been great global interest in the Games, illustrated by the fact that over 7.6 of the 10 million tickets for the Olympics have been sold. In this context, the small number of expensive tickets is important because they make it possible to offer a wider selection of cheaper tickets for the fans, writes the IOC. When asked about family and friends who want to come down to Paris to watch the athletes, they argue that they have a program that has been put in place for this. – For most sports, an athlete can buy up to two tickets for each session they compete in. Fears the Olympics will be for the rich Henriksen says he is aware of the possibility of buying two tickets at a reduced price if he qualifies for the Olympics. – Now I don’t know the price of those tickets yet, but I also have more than two in the family who would like to go to Paris, says the hammer thrower. The silver three years ago was the first Olympic medal in hammer throw history for Norway. Henriksen also has NM gold in the exercise 13 times in a row from 2011 to 2022, and holds the Norwegian record of 81.58 metres. OLYMPIC SILVER: Eivind Henriksen was jubilantly happy after the silver in 2021. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB Henriksen does not hope the Olympics will only be for the rich, but at the same time understands that the prices will be expensive when demand is high. – There are many people interested in sports, and not everyone has the same amount of money. It is often those who create the best atmosphere in the stadium, and not the rich who can afford this, he believes. – Can be problematic Another person who has previously reacted to the ticket prices during the Olympics is the president of the International Athletics Federation (WA), Sebastian Coe. According to AFP, Coe wants the families of the athletes to be given special priority by the organisers. He is concerned that they may miss out on the high point in the careers of family members as a result of the high prices. – It is my responsibility to ensure that our sport is delivered in the best possible environment and that the French organizers do everything they can to fill the stadium, even if the ticket prices, as we know, are high, says Coe. ATHLETICS PRESIDENT: Sebastian Coe hopes that there will be a solution for the athletes’ families. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB He believes the Paris Olympics will be the most expensive ever, both for the sports federation and for the fans. – Our concern will always be that we would like to have fans in the stadium who watch the competitions at reasonable prices, and that we also ensure that our sport grows – especially when it concerns the athletes and their families. The president of the Olympics in Paris 2024, Tony Estanguet came up with a response to Coe’s statements in The Guardian where he specifies that the Olympics in Paris are made for a large part of the population. OLYMPIC PRESIDENT: Tony Estanguet argues against Coe’s statements. Photo: AP – It is important for us to guarantee access for a large part of the population, and we are talking about more than 4 million tickets to the Olympics for 50 euros or less. We will then offer higher prices to help balance the budget for Paris 2024, says the Olympic president.
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Eivind Henriksen and Erlend Slokvik react to the ticket prices in the Olympics in Paris – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
