Head of the Paris 2024 organising committee, Tony Estanguet, denied that the amount of unsold tickets shows a lack of interest. The three-time Olympian clarified that 'new ticket opportunities' had been released in the last six months and that they had already met their income target. A record 8.8 million tickets have been sold so far.

"In total at the beginning, we had 10 million tickets but we took 20 per cent of the total numbers in contingency. That’s why there are still tickets available one week before because now we now have the final plan of the delivery," Estanguet said. 

More than 20 sports still have seats available including football, cycling, swimming, rowing and rugby sevens. Surprisingly showpieces like the men’s and women’s 100m finals which usually sell out in advance, are still on sale. 

While the tickets available for the grand opening ceremony on the Seine River are on the pricier side, starting at £758 (€900), many seats available for athletics are at the lower end of the pricing table; with tickets for the 1500m final going for £71 (€84) while the 100m places are on sale for £248 (€294).

The Olympic Games in Paris kicks off 26 July with the opening ceremony set to begin at 19:30 CEST.