Members of the global elite are spending as much as $500,000 (approximately Rs 4,16,90,325) on “ultra-exclusive” packages for the Paris Olympics 2024. According to a report in The Guardian, these packages offer includes meeting with athletes, access to the athletes’ village and “the chance to be a part of the opening ceremony”.
GR8 Experience, “an international experience agency”, owned by the business manager of basketball star LeBron James and the PR manager of tennis player Rafael Nadal, is selling these packages. They claim to include tickets to 14 events such as the men’s 100m finals and the opening ceremony that amount to $381,600.
The agency also claims of organising "money-can't-buy-experiences' including meet-and-greets with athletes, tours of restricted areas such as the athletes’ village, private after-hours access to the Louvre and a “king’s dinner at the Palace of Versailles”.
Barnabas Carrega, the chief executive of GR8 Experience, said that his company was offering the super-rich “access that is not available to the public, including time with athletes”. However, he declined to name the athletes but said that he had previously arranged arranged private events with Nadal and fellow tennis star Novak Djokovic, and the former Italian Olympic skier Giorgio Rocca.
“For the Olympics there are a couple of tennis players,” he said, adding, “And a number of athletes in different sports, but I am not able to name specific athletes.”
While talking about the cost of the meetings with athletes, Carrega said that would “depend on the structure of the meeting”, which varied from “15 minutes taking photos and a quick chat to others that are much more engaged... spending lunch”. The price, he said, ranged from $25,000 to $500,000 “if we’re talking about one of the best athletes spending a lot of time”.
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