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On the one hand, the Olympic Village has set up a nursery for the first time, and on the other hand, the stadiums charge admission fees for infants. The different attitudes towards infants in the Paris Olympics have puzzled athletes who bring their babies to the competition. According to the Daily Mail,The Paris Olympic Committee stipulates that all spectators, including children of all ages, need to buy tickets to enter the competition venues. This means that even for infants, parents must buy full tickets for them to enter the venue to watch the game, even though many children will not actually occupy seats.

"Baby tickets" cause controversy

The "baby ticket" rule annoyed many British team athletes.

According to statistics, the British team has a total of 327 athletes, many of whom are already parents, and their children plan to watch the games in the French capital, Paris, to cheer for them. However, this regulation has brought additional financial burdens to these families and also affected their overall experience of the Olympics.

"This policy is absolutely ridiculous! As long as it's a human being, even if they are held in their arms, they must have a ticket," said 29-year-old British rower Hawkins Bryan, whose two-year-old son Freddy has come to Paris. "Because Freddy is so young, I have never paid for him to play before. Because of the noise of the Olympics, he can't even stay for too long and has to leave, but we still have to buy tickets for him."

According to regulations, Olympic athletes can only have two tickets for the matches they participate in, and these two tickets need to be paid for normally.

Hawkins-Brian added: "The rule requires paying for young children who might not actually sit down and enjoy the game, which prevents spectators like my parents from attending in person. But with Freddie there, I feel less stressed and anxious."

British track cyclist Dan Bigham had a similar view. As a father of a one-year-old, he said: "It seems very illogical that I have to buy a ticket for a one-year-old. Even though he can't sit in a seat at the age of one, the race organizers will give him a seat. It's really annoying! Is it worth £300? He won't remember it. But for me, it helps that my son is there."

London Olympics has a precedent

Contrary to the concept of "baby tickets", the Paris Olympics set up a nursery in the Olympic Village for the first time, which is designed specifically for babies who still need to wear diapers. The purpose is to ensure that athletes who bring their children to the Olympics receive care and support.

Emma Terho, Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, said: “Many athletes struggle to balance their sporting careers with family. It is beneficial for athletes and babies travelling with their children to enjoy some quality time together, especially at such an important time in an athlete’s career. This nursery meets this need while giving athletes the opportunity to focus on the Olympic Games.”

It is worth mentioning that,An important piece of information is specifically pointed out in the ticket terms, that is, "Children under four years old are not recommended to enter the venue."

The Paris Olympic Committee explained this policy by saying that they believe the environment of sports venues may not be suitable for the health of infants and young children, and therefore do not recommend parents to bring children under the age of 4 to the venue.

This policy also caught some viewers off guard.

Tom Baker from London, England said: "We booked the tickets a year and a half in advance, but now we find that our children also need tickets to watch the games, and the Olympic tickets have been sold out long ago." French native Margot Giddings bought tickets for the gymnastics event before she gave birth. She wanted to attend the event in person with her 5-month-old baby, but the tickets were sold out, which put her in a dilemma.

In fact, during the preparations for the 2012 London Olympics, the regulations on the entry of infants also caused widespread controversy.

Initially, the London Olympic Committee's ticketing department stipulated that even babies a few months old would need to buy adult tickets to enter the venue to watch the game. However, this move was strongly opposed by the public, and many people thought the decision was "stupid and ridiculous."

Faced with public dissatisfaction, London Olympic Organizing Committee Chairman Sebastian Coe admitted that this was an "abnormal" decision. Finally, the Olympic Committee changed its position two months before the start of the London Olympics and announced that babies as young as 12 months old would be allowed to enter the venue without buying tickets.