By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
When it was announced that the Group Phase of both Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments at the Olympic Games 2024 would have been played in Lille, criticism spread everywhere.
However, as we approached the knockout stage in Paris, it can’t be denied that the experience in the Pierre Mauroy Stadium exceeded expectations, also breaking attendance numbers.
As FIBA announced, “A total of 876,686 spectators showed up for the 36 men’s and women’s games at the converted football arena in Lille – that is 91.8 percent of capacity”.
Moreover, “A total of 466,053 fans showed up for the 18 men’s games for an average of 25,983 or 94.6 percent of the 27,360 capacity”, while “the 18 women’s games drew 410,633 fans for an average of 22,813 or 83.4 percent of capacity”, it was revealed.
Talking about the Women’s Basketball Tournament, the final game of the Group Phase put up against each other France and Australia was the female game with the highest attendance in Europe: 27,193 fans showed up in Lille.
At the moment, the Basketball Tournament at the Olympic Games 24 could become the most-watched in the history of the competition. “Paris 2024 remains 191,346 fans short of breaking the 28-year-old record”, which belongs to Atlanta 1996 with a total of 1,068,032 spectators.
Thank you Lille, now Paris, it’s up to you 🙌#Paris2024 x #Basketball
🔗 https://t.co/R3PQoEpP5q pic.twitter.com/ic5VEF8Orx
— FIBA (@FIBA) August 5, 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA Basketball