Mathieu Hanotin is the mayor of Saint-Denis. He is demanding 22,000 places, or 10% of the quota, for the opening ceremony.

Hanotin believes that his city and the department of Seine-St.Denis were not well served. The sharing of the 222,000 invitations has been done according to the weight of each entity in the Games system: 35,000 for the city of Paris, 35,00 for the State and 35,500 for the committee organization of the Games.