After the Paris Games, the city debates whether to leave rings on the Eiffel Tower

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is making a final attempt to keep the city’s Olympic flame alive. Ms Hidalgo wants the Olympic rings, so perfectly placed above the arch of the Eiffel Tower during the Games, to be hung there indefinitely.

But while those colorful, interlocking rings on the tower’s wrought-iron latticework were, admittedly, a photographer’s dream, Parisians cry: “Holy Blue!”

More than 42,000 people have signed a petition against keeping the rings up. For many, the problem is probably the source of the idea. Ms. Hidalgo is one of the most unpopular politicians in recent history.

And before she can make any progress, she must first overcome a number of obstacles.

The family of Gustave Eiffel – the man who designed the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 World’s Fair – wants nothing to do with the Olympic rings. In a statement, the family’s organization said that keeping the rings in place would go against “the neutrality and meaning that the Eiffel Tower has acquired over the years.”

And Ms. Hidalgo’s “decision goes against national heritage laws, which prohibit any form of publicity on historical monuments,” says sociologist Nathalie Heinich. “Most likely, nothing will come of it.”

Let’s just say it: the Paris Olympics were a success.

Yes, there was a fair amount of grumbling from the locals before the Olympics, but that’s to be expected. This is France, and complaining is practically a national sport. But if you take an average French person aside, away from friends and family (so as not to disgrace the nation), they might admit to two things: first, they watched the Olympics. And second, they had a great time.

As the Olympic crucible in the Tuileries Gardens dies down, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is making a final attempt to keep the Olympic flame alive. She wants the Olympic rings, so perfectly placed just above the arch of the Eiffel Tower for the duration of the Games, to remain there indefinitely.

But while those colorful, interlocking rings on the tower’s wrought-iron latticework were, admittedly, a photographer’s dream – especially at sunset with the beach volleyball court spread out in front of it – Parisians are chanting: “Holy Blue!”

The Mayor and the Games

More than 42,000 people have signed a petition against keeping the rings up. For many, the problem with the idea is probably the source: Mrs. Hidalgo.

Despite being well into her second term, she is one of the most unpopular politicians in recent history. Her attempts to ban cars from the city center and her inability to clean up Paris have earned her an approval rating of 19%. Ms. Hidalgo made her decision on the rings unilaterally, without public participation, which has ruffled a few feathers.