Olympics 2024 Estimated to have Cost France €6 billion
According to France’s Court of Auditors, hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024 in Paris is estimated to have cost the state around 6 billion euros (approx. 7.1bn USD / 5.2bn GBP). A breakdown of the spending and what the Organising Committee has to say about it.
France’s Supreme Audit Institution has presented an initial assessment of the public expenditure linked to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, stressing that this is an interim evaluation. A full report, providing a comprehensive assessment of all public spending, fiscal impacts, voluntary involvement, and accessibility issues, must be submitted to Parliament by 1 October 2025 at the latest, as required by law.
This interim analysis distinguishes between expenditure for staging the Games and that for permanent infrastructure investments. In total, the public spending identified so far amounts to around 5.96 billion euros, comprising 2.77 billion euros for organising the Games and 3.19 billion euros for infrastructure measures. The organisational costs include both direct subsidies and a range of government services that do not appear in the budget of the Organising Committee, COJOP (Comité d’organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques).
Organisation costs exceed €2.5 billion
The largest share of organisational spending was allocated to security measures, totalling 1.44 billion euros, 95% of which was borne by the French state. This covered staff costs, bonuses, accommodation and catering for security personnel, as well as investments in cybersecurity and surveillance technology.
A further 570 million euros were spent on mobility during the Games, including expanded transport services and traffic flow management measures. An additional 83 million euros went towards supplementary public services such as healthcare, coordination and administrative tasks. 421.7 million euros were provided for programmes supporting elite performances by French athletes and for wider community engagement. The latter included distributing free tickets, local event formats and audiovisual broadcasts via France Télévisions.
Over €3 billion invested in infrastructure
A total of 3.19 billion euros were invested in infrastructure, aiming to create a lasting legacy and covering sporting, urban and transport measures. 2.07 billion euros were spent on sports venues and urban development around the Olympic villages in Saint-Denis and the media centre in Dugny-Le Bourget. Local authorities funded a significant portion of this.
595 million euros were allocated to transport infrastructure, mainly for accelerated or additional work on existing projects. Cost increases in this area were estimated at 236 million. Security-related infrastructure investments — such as video technology, anti-drone systems, communication infrastructure and emergency response equipment — accounted for 304.5 million euros.
A special case was the project to make the River Seine swimmable. This was one of the original bid’s objectives and made it possible to host open water and triathlon competitions in the river. It also helped meet European environmental standards for water quality. Investments are estimated to lie between 200 million and 1 billion euros, but have not yet been included in the overall Olympic cost calculation, as a direct link to the Games cannot always be clearly defined.
Criticism from the Organising Committee
According to media reports, Tony Estanguet, President of COJOP, criticised the interim report’s exclusive focus on public expenditure in a written response to the Court of Auditors. He argued that this one-sided representation distorts the overall picture and creates the impression that public funds were used disproportionately.
Estanguet pointed to ongoing studies by the French statistics office Insee and the Centre for Sports Economics, which forecast an overall economic benefit from the Games of between 7 and 11 billion euros. He considers the 6 billion cited by the Court of Auditors to be overstated, as it includes spending not directly related to the Games. According to COJOP, actual public expenditure amounts to around 2 billion euros. COJOP itself reported a projected surplus of 28.6 million euro shortly before the end of the year. (stadiaworld, 26.06.2025)
