Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024 cost the French treasury nearly six billion euros, more than expected, according to a report published on Monday on the website of the country’s Court of Auditors.
The Olympics in Paris took place from July 26 to August 11, 2024, and the Paralympics from August 28 to September 8. Even before the Games began, the Court of Auditors estimated that they would cost between 3 and 5 billion euros.
According to the initial assessment, the government’s spending on organising the Games can be estimated at 2.77 billion euros, with infrastructure costs at 3.19 billion euros, the document says.
Most of the organisational expenses were for security (€1.44 billion), with transport services being the second most expensive item (€570 million). Approximately €1.24 billion was spent on sports infrastructure and equipment used during the competitions. Another 839 million went to city improvements.
However, the Audit Chamber did not include in the final amount the costs incurred for cleaning the Seine River for swimming competitions, as they could not be accurately estimated. The agency estimates that this could have cost between €200 million and €1 billion. The Court of Auditors points out that the report was compiled on the basis of data from March 31, 2025 and emphasises that this is only an initial estimate of the costs.
