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Record 8.6 Million Tickets Sold for Paris Olympics

Paris Games chief organizer Tony Estanguet at the Olympic village in Saint-Denis on Thursday © EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP
Paris Games chief organizer Tony Estanguet at the Olympic village in Saint-Denis on Thursday © EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP
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Record 8.6 Million Tickets Sold for Paris Olympics

Paris Games chief organizer Tony Estanguet at the Olympic village in Saint-Denis on Thursday © EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP
Paris Games chief organizer Tony Estanguet at the Olympic village in Saint-Denis on Thursday © EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP

The Paris Olympics already has one gold medal in the bag before it begins with 8.6 million tickets sold -- a record for any Games.

"It's a record held by the 1996 Atlanta Games of 8.3 million tickets, and we've already passed that total now some time ago," the 2024 Games organizer Tony Estanguet told AFP on Thursday.

"We are at 8.6 million tickets for the Olympics, and over one million for the Paralympics," he reported.

Paris organizers forecast that total rising to 10 million for the July 26-August 11 sporting extravaganza, and 3.4 million for the Paralympics staged between August 28 and September 8.

"The good news is that in this final stretch we are making available a number of tickets for lots of sports," Estanguet said.

"There are lots of really good options at different prices both for the Olympics, Paralympics, and opening and closing ceremonies."

He added: "We are proud to have already beaten the record, but we can still do even better."

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South Korea Expresses Regret after Its Athletes Introduced as North Korea at Opening Ceremony

Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
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South Korea Expresses Regret after Its Athletes Introduced as North Korea at Opening Ceremony

Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)

South Korea expressed regret that its delegation of athletes at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday was introduced as from rival North Korea and has demanded assurances from organizers the mistake will not happen again.

As the boat carrying South Korean athletes passed on the Seine, the announcer introduced them as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" - the official name of North Korea - in French and English.

The announcer used the same introduction when the North Korean delegation passed.

South Korea's vice minister for sports and culture, Jang Mi-ran, who was in Paris, had requested a meeting with International Olympics Committee President Thomas Bach, the ministry said in a statement.

"We express regret that the country was introduced as North Korea at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games when the athletes of the Republic of Korea were entering," it said.

South Korea's National Olympic Committee immediately referred the incident to the Games' organizers and requested that the error will not be repeated.

South Korea's delegation includes 143 athletes competing in 21 events. North Korea, which is returning to the Games for the first time since Rio 2016, has sent 16 athletes.