How billionaires like Bill Gates and Elon Musk are enjoying the 2024 Olympics

Bill Gates cheering on Team USA at the Paris Games.

LUDOVIC MARIN/Getty Images

• Billionaires have made their way to Paris to watch the 2024 Olympics in person.
• Some are there purely to enjoy watching the games, but one billionaire is playing in them.
• Here are some of the world's richest people who have been spotted at the 2020 Paris Olympics.

Billionaires are just like us. Every four summers, they take a break from their busy lives to tune into the Olympics and cheer on their home team.

But they are also not like us, in that they often watch in person, buying expensive ticket packages and staying in exclusive locales.

A weeklong stay in Paris for the Olympics for high-net-worth individuals can cost upward of $100,000, Maxime Lallement, the general manager for Highstay, which rents out luxury apartments in Paris, told Business Insider. That would include accommodations, a 24/7 concierge, helicopter tours, security, and a private chef — though it would not include tickets. The most expensive seats at the Opening Ceremonies cost nearly $3,000 a pop, while certain events cost over $1,000 for the best view.

Then there's one client of Fraser, a luxury yacht brokerage, that charted a 27-meter ship in Marseille so they could follow the windsurfing competition. Another yacht, which costs $97,500 a week to charter, was in high demand as it's based in Tahiti, where Olympic surfing will take place.

Of course, this is all pennies on the dollar when you have billions to spare, and the world's richest have not previously been deterred by cost.

Here are the billionaires who have been spotted at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Bernard Arnault

Bernard Arnault at a pre-Olympics event.

Thibault Camus/AP

LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault has been an important player in the 2024 Olympics. His company spent a reported $160 million to sponsor the games, and branded products — like a Louis Vuitton trunk carrying the Olympic torch and Berulti suits on Team France — have been seen throughout the Games.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates caught a tennis match during the Games.

Kevin Voigt/Getty Images

Bill Gates has attended multiple Olympics in the past but is headed to Paris for a particularly special reason: His son-in-law, Nayel Nassar, is competing as an equestrian for Team Egypt.

LeBron James

LeBron James was the flagbearer for Team USA.

Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

One billionaire wasn't participating in the Olympics as a spectator: LeBron James. The basketball legend served as one of Team USA's flagbearers during the Opening Ceremonies before taking to the court on Sunday.

Elon Musk

Not only was Elon Musk spotted in Paris for the Games, he also enjoyed lunch with fellow billionaire Bernard Arnault and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, Arnault told CNBC.

The Tesla CEO was critical of the Opening Ceremonies, calling a part that was reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" "extremely disrespectful to Christians" on X. (A spokesperson for the Olympics has since apologized.)

The lasers, on the other hand, "were great," he said.

Brian Roberts

Steven Spielberg, Bernard Arnault and Brian Roberts at an Olympic precursor event.

Victor Boyko

Like Arnault, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts has skin in the Olympics, which air on his company's NBCUniversal. So far, so good for the billionaire: viewership for the Opening Ceremony was up more than 80% from the Tokyo Games, NBCUniversal said.

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg at a pre-Olympics gathering.

Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images

Billionaire director Steven Spielberg welcomed viewers to the Paris Opening Ceremonies broadcast, likening the games to movie magic.

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