Fans attending next year’s Paris 2024 Olympics will be banned from consuming any alcohol throughout the Summer Games – although the rules won’t apply to fans in the Games’ VIP areas, according to an official spokesperson.
There’s nothing quite like the profound allure of the Olympic Games: a momentous occasion; etched in the history of one’s city and country; spoken of with immense reverence and affection; reminiscent of a hugely significant and personal memory. Simply say the words “Sydney 2000” and watch as everyday Australians regale with the utmost pride each of the events they went to see and how they felt experiencing the coming together of a city and its people, during one of the country’s greatest-ever sporting occasions.
So too, then, for the people of France, whose capital Paris will host the 2024 Olympic Games from July of next year and who are undoubtedly eagerly anticipating a special sporting and cultural moment for their city and country, too – but the celebration and festivities might take a different look with the recent revelation made by an official spokesperson this week.
Due to a 1991 law pertaining to the sale and distribution of alcohol during sporting events, alcohol consumption by the general public will be banned throughout the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
WATCH how the French government ordered the destruction of 2,000 cans of confiscated American beer below.
“Paris 2024 has not sought an exemption from this law. Such an exemption would have required a change in the law for an event the size of the Games.”
2024 Paris Olympics spokesperson
Whilst this might be frustrating news for fans who want to have a couple of beers and celebrate the world-class sport on display, the news shouldn’t have too much of an adverse effect on the overall atmosphere of the Games. We all like a drink, but not at the expense of great sport.
In a shocking admission, however, VIP guests will be able to enjoy the privileged luxury of drinking alcohol from designated suites and boxes within the 35 stadiums dotted around Paris.
The whole point of the Games is to celebrate the sporting achievements of one’s nation, cheering and marvelling at the amazing performances that represent entirely what it means to wear your country’s colours and wave your flags; it’s a togetherness like no other, but the recent news comes as a shock to many, at risk of inadvertently creating an unwanted societal divide during a global competition that should be a cultural cornerstone within the community.
That being said, the prohibition of alcohol at major sporting events isn’t exactly a new concept. Alcohol was banned throughout the previous Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 2020, but the COVID pandemic meant that fans were unable to attend the events anyway. So too, during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, where the banning of alcohol was even celebrated as a success by organisers, with many suggesting that fans were able to appreciate the football without people causing any trouble.
For those of you who are headed to France for this year’s Rugby World Cup, don’t worry: you’ll still be able to crack open a Kronenbourg as the Wallabies take on Wales in Lyon. But for those at the Olympics, unfortunately, it’ll be sober shoeys all round.