The Paris equivalent of the pub with no beer — the real reason the Olympics are booze-free

The Paris Olympics are booze free, with venues not selling alcohol because of a law put in place decades ago. And one section is fully meat free. So, is it a good thing given how much a lukewarm can costs at Aussie sporting venues?

If they tried the Paris’ Olympics version of a pub with no beer at an Australian sporting venue, the punters would tear the grandstands down.

But as the Paris Games go ahead without even a lukewarm wildly-overpriced mid-strength beer on tap venues, the policy has been greeted with a typical Gallic shrug.

At the World Cup in 2022, Qatar banned beer sales with just 48 hours notice before the start of the tournament and official partner Budweiser lost its mind.

The lack of a thirst-quenching beer or wine when the sweltering heat and humidity makes it the perfect environment for an afternoon thirst-quencher is no surprise to French patrons.

In 1991 the French government instituted a law that limits the sale of alcohol and tobacco at large events to combat substance abuse, with sporting codes allowed to sell booze at 10 events a year.

With the Olympics a 700-event behemoth over more than two weeks, the Paris organisers would have had to ask for a change to the law to provide alcohol.

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The recent Rugby World Cup was successful in asking for that exemption last year, but the Olympics bosses never even tried.

In Paris, where the ever-present corner shops sell Kronenbourg cans for $2.60 and there is a bar on every corner, only those that like to be offended are truly outraged.

After all, there is no quicker way to empty your wallet than quenching your thirst at an Australian sporting venue given the inflated prices on offer.

But those who are of the inclination to lose their minds over the trivial might just go off the deep end if they visit the Concorde Urban park.

The venue on the Tuileries Gardens just west of the Louvre Museum hosts the 3x3, breaking, BMX and skateboarding

And it is a fully meat-free zone.

The meat-free Tuileries Gardens. Picture: Getty Images

Not as in meat is in short supply, like in the athletes village in a development that dual Olympian James Magnussen described as overly woke.

But as in not available, with signs boasting that fans should “Explore the vegetarian and tasty cuisine in all the Paris 2024 venues. And you’ll say, “I came, I saw and I tried a delicious veggie meal”.”

There is a vegetarian hot dog (11 Euros, $18 Australian) and a mozzarella panini, although analysing the actual meat content of an Australian hot dog is not a conversation worth having.

For advice, try the five euro mango gelato (mind-blowing), or duck out to the Bar Tuileries 100m outside the venue boundaries which is a “plush spot for choice cocktails and bites”.

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In the interests of environmentalism I tried the eight euro ($13) strawberry yoghurt with berries (two euros refunded when you bring back the plastic cup) and even consumed the fully edible spoon that replaces a normal plastic spoon.

Now that is looking after the planet.

Or you get on board with the non-alcoholic lager options _ eight euros ($13 for the 1664 zero per cent beer) or 5.5 euros ($9) for the non-alcoholic beer with lemon juice.

Knock yourself out.

On the plus side, the behaviour of fans is better, your bank balance will thank you and most sessions only go for a few hours before the fans are released into a French capital with many of the most picturesque bars in the world.

But if you are the kind of person who loves being deep in the MCG’s Bay 13 vibe…. then the Paris Olympics might not be for you.

Originally published as The Paris equivalent of the pub with no beer — the real reason the Olympics are booze-free