Australian athlete slams the Paris Olympics for ticket change and absurd prices
- Athlete Matilda Kearns is concerned about the change in ticket sales for the Games
- Australian athletes will no longer receive a free ticket for a family member
- Kearns complained about the staggering prices of tickets in Paris
Australian Olympic water polo star Matilda Kearns has called for the Paris Games to change their ticketing system – and laid bare the eye-watering prizes fans will face.
Kearns, the daughter of Wallabies legend Phil Kearns, announced via TikTok that athletes competing in this year’s Olympics will not receive any free tickets for a family member or friend.
In the clip, she showed off her laptop showing the ticket prices, with one seat costing $1,625 AUD.
“POV our family and friends will have to pay up to $1625 per ticket to watch just ONE of our games at the Olympics,” she wrote in the clip.
Matilda Kearns (pictured) criticized the Paris Olympics for their absurd ticket prices
Kearns captioned the post: “We don’t even get ONE free ticket for our families.”
In the comments section, she noted that the Paris Games are the first to implement this rule.
“Every other Olympics has done that, but not this one for some reason!” Not even ONE card,” she wrote.
Kearns’ followers were outraged by the move.
“Surely the Aus Olympic team is buying tickets for your family… I mean you represent our country, you deserve support in the stands,” one TikTok user replied.
‘That is ridiculous! And how can they even justify those ticket prices?!” said another.
“I really wanted to go but it’s so expensive,” a third posted.
Kearns was part of the Australian Stingers team that competed in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where the team finished fifth.
Kearns was shocked that athletes participating in the Games were not offered a free ticket for a family member or friend
They were knocked out in the quarter-finals after losing 9-8 to Russia, and Kearns wants to do better this time.
“There was one thing missing from the crowds in Tokyo, because no one could get there,” she said Sports dogs.
“We went there to win medals and got lucky in the quarter-final against Russia and they beat us by one. We look back and are disappointed with fifth place.
“People say ‘great, you came fifth’, but we were there to get a medal and didn’t quite make it, so that’s definitely fuel for Paris.
‘I obviously want to finish fifth, but actually I want to be at the top of that podium. I won’t settle for much less.’
