PARIS: New parents preparing to attend the Paris Olympics are pushing for a change in ticketing rules after learning that their infants will be denied entry to venues unless they have their own seats.
Margaux Giddings, a nurse from southwest France, purchased her ticket for the gymnastics event last year when they were initially released, but she later became pregnant and recently gave birth. “I am breastfeeding my daughter, and she will be five months at the time of the Games,” the 33-year-old from Bayonne told AFP. “It troubles me to leave her behind. I would have preferred to bring her with me in a sling or baby carrier.”
The policy for the Games, scheduled from July 26 to August 11, states that “all spectators must have a valid ticket to enter an Olympic venue, including children of all ages.”
“I was shocked to learn that even newborns need their own seats,” said Tom Baker, a 37-year-old ticket holder from London expecting his first child with his wife Kate in May. He reached out to Paris 2024 and was advised via the chat service to consider purchasing tickets for the Paralympics, where reduced prices for children are available—unlike for the Olympics. “I pointed out that we bought tickets a year and a half in advance, not knowing for sure that we would be trying to conceive,” he told AFP. “This issue couldn’t have been foreseen, and now we can’t resolve it because the tickets are sold out.”
He and Kate, along with her brother and mother, have spent approximately 3,000 euros (3,300 dollars) on seats for kayaking, beach volleyball, and other events.
The Paris organizing committee, previously criticized for high ticket prices, defended its decision to require everyone, including infants, to have their own seats. “In general, Paris 2024 does not recommend bringing children under four years old to competition sites,” the committee said in a statement to AFP. “Paris 2024 advises parents to consider the sports venues’ environment, which may not be suitable for young children’s well-being.”
Policies regarding infants vary in different sports. For events like the Euros and World Cup football, children of all ages need seats, and many major clubs discourage bringing infants. However, infants are often welcome free of charge at sports like rugby, cricket, or athletics.
The London Olympics in 2012 initially had the same policy as Paris but changed it due to public and media pressure.
