If you’re planning to visit the City of Lights for the Games next summer, don’t expect the Champagne to be flowing.
The general public will not be allowed to purchase alcohol at official venues during the 2024 Olympics in Paris, according to Reuters. Due to a decades-old French regulation, only attendees with VIP access will be permitted to drink on-premise.
Evin’s Law (or loi Évin) — instituted by the French Parliament in 1991 to restrict the sale and advertising of alcohol, tobacco, and similar products — prohibits stadium alcohol sales for the general public, including during international competitions. A loophole in the law allows attendees to consume alcohol in VIP suites where food is served, according to Agence France-Presse.
While French law allows select exemptions, event organizers told Reuters they did not request one for the upcoming Games. Organizers say that the competition’s magnitude would call for a change in Evin’s Law rather than a simple exception. The 2024 Olympics will include over 700 competitions spanning 15 days.
“It is the strict application of French law that allows catering services that include the provision of alcohol to operate in hospitality areas as they are governed by a separate law on catering,” an organizer spokesperson told Reuters.
Alcohol sales were also set to be restricted at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2020, but those events were eventually held without audiences due to the pandemic. The 2012 and 2016 Olympics, held in London and Rio de Janeiro respectively, permitted sales of beer and wine.