Record-breaking attendance at the Olympic Basketball Tournaments Paris 2024

    3 min to read
    Press Release

    The previous record dated back to Atlanta 1996. For a long time, it seemed absolutely out of reach. But Paris 2024 did better - with 40 fewer games.

    PARIS (France) - The basketball fans of the 2024 Olympics delivered an outstanding performance, turning out in exceptional numbers and helping break the Olympic attendance record!

    A total of 1,078,319 fans attended the Women's and Men's Olympic Basketball Tournaments Paris 2024, shattering the previous record of 1,068,032 spectators set at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, where the Final Phase was held in the expansive SuperDome with a capacity of over 30,000.

    The Paris Olympics achieved this remarkable milestone despite hosting only 52 games - 40 fewer than the previous format used in Atlanta 28 years ago. This resulted in an average attendance of 20,737 per game, with near parity between the Men's games (21,711) and Women's games (19,763).

    Bercy Arena in Paris was almost sold out at all games

    The crowds at Lille's Pierre Mauroy Stadium set the tone impressively during the opening nine days of games. Fans showed their national colors with pride, giving their heroes reasons to fight. A total of 876,686 spectators attended the 36 men's and women's games at the converted football arena in Lille, filling 91.8 percent of its capacity.

    The 18 men's games drew 466,053 fans, averaging 25,983 per game, which is 94.6 percent of the 27,360-seat capacity. The 18 women's games attracted 410,633 fans, averaging 22,813 per game, or 83.4 percent of capacity.

    This event set a new standard for the women's game with a record for a women's basketball game in Europe. This Group Phase has eclipsed anything that has come before in Europe. The record for a women's game now stands at 27,193 and was achieved during the very last game in Lille between host nation France and Australia.

    Paris' Bercy Arena then took the baton from Lille, comfortably securing the record with a 13,000-seat capacity. Every game at Bercy was played with a minimum attendance of between 11,852 and 12,454 for a total of 201,633.

    Additionally, the seven days of action at the 3x3 basketball tournament at Place de la Concorde were sold out, with 4,000 spectators per session, resulting in a total attendance of 72,000. This was the first time 3x3 could play at the Olympics in front of a live attendance.

    FIBA