Only half of Paris Paralympics tickets sold with 18 days to go

Around only a half of tickets for the Paris Paralympics have been sold, two and a half weeks before the start of the event.

The Olympics conclude on Sunday and then organizers have a short window to reconfigure venues for the Games for people with disabilities.

Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet told a news conference they were satisfied with the sales figures, adding that five times as many Paralympics seats are being snapped up now compared to the start of the Olympics.

Organizers say more than 3 million tickets have so far been sold for the Paralympics, which will be held from August 28 to 8 September.

At the Olympics, 9.5 million of the approximately 10 million tickets were sold - more than ever before in the history of the Games, according to Estanguet.

There were also records in terms of the popularity of women's team sports - with 66,000 spectators watching rugby sevens in the Stade de France and 27,000 fans taking in basketball in Lille.