Police officers gather in a street near the Eiffel Tower on the eve of the Paralympic Games opening ceremony, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024 in Paris. - AP
PARIS (AP): Organisers of the Paris Paralympics announced Tuesday that over two million tickets have been sold as the Games prepare to open.
"We have already sold around two million tickets, so that's good. There will be full stadia," said Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet at a press conference, alongside International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons.
There remain 500,000 unsold tickets for the Paralympics, which get underway on Wednesday with an opening ceremony in central Paris.
The best-selling events are blind football, taekwondo, track cycling, shooting, triathlon and equestrianism.
Organisers put more tickets on sale on Monday for the most in-demand events, which will take place in venues such as the Grand Palais -- which proved a hit when hosting the fencing and taekwondo during the Olympics -- and the grounds of the Palace of Versailles.
Many of these sites have been adapted since the Olympics to make them more accessible for people with reduced mobility.
"Sometimes with Paralympic sports, the first reaction (of the spectators) is surprise... then this connection starts between what they see on the field of play (and them)," said Parsons.
Organisers are confident that more seats will be filled.
"I know that we are going to continue selling tickets, even during the events and right up until the end, just like at the Olympics," said Estanguet.
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