It was fantastic, historic, almost unreal. But also very expensive. On July 26, at around 7:30 p.m., the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games left its mark. With Lady Gaga, Juliette Armanet, Sofiane Pamart, Philippe Katerine and of course Céline Dion, she stunned the hundreds of millions of viewers who followed her, before immersing themselves in the 16 days of intense competition.
But with an exceptional show, an exceptional budget. According to the report appended to the finance bill for 2025, revealed by Le Monde, this opening ceremony would have cost a whopping 100 million euros, not counting the costs borne by the State to secure the event, with police and security forces. In July, the sum of 122 million euros was advanced by Le Canard Enchaîné. Whatever happens, the amount is particularly high, the opening ceremony of the London Games having cost “only” 30 million euros.
The total cost of these 2024 Olympic Games is much higher. In total, according to Le Monde’s calculations, the State and communities spent 2.8 billion euros, much more than the first estimates, between 1.47 and 2.4 billion euros. This corresponds to the sums paid to the organizing committee, to Solideo for infrastructure, and to additional investments such as bonuses for medalists or tickets offered to local authorities.
