“Prohibition is better than no liquor at all.”
— Will Rogers.
There is a 30-year-old law in France prohibiting the sale of alcohol in stadiums. It is already archaic. The 2024 Paris Olympic Games organisers announced that they do not intend to apply for an exemption.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup organisers applied for an exemption and the sport “for hooligans was played by gentlemen” and was apparently watched by gentlemen too — no problem.
Paris 2024 organizers confirm alcohol won't be sold at Olympic stadiums next summer, though it will still be available in VIP hospitality areas. https://t.co/1LcpRPaWQF
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) June 27, 2023
Apparently, sports fans have lobbied for allowing alcohol to be sold in venues in France.
In 2006, FIFA World Cup fans lobbied vociferously in Germany to have the sale of German beer sold in stadiums, forcing organisers to appeal to Anheuser-Busch to allow the sale of other “beer” than just Budweiser. As a sponsor, Anheuser-Busch held the exclusive rights to sell beer. They acquiesced, saving themselves from being victims of the chaos theory.
“Paris 2024 has not sought an exemption from this law,” a spokesperson said in a statement provided to USA Today Sports. “Such an exemption would have required a change in the law for an event the size of the Games.”
The Paris Olympics will begin on July 26, 2024.
“Prohibition has made nothing but trouble.”
— Al Capone.
