Paris mayor’s plan to keep Olympic rings on Eiffel Tower draws criticism | Paris 2024 Olympics News

Critics say keeping the rings on the Parisian monument would amount to turning it into a “publicity post”.

Plans to keep the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower have drawn criticism from descendants of the Parisian monument’s designer and sparked outrage among some local residents.

The giant rings were a popular addition to the monument for visitors and tourists in Paris during the Olympic Games from July 28 to August 11 in the French capital.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced Saturday that she wants to remove the original rings, which are too heavy to leave on the monument, and replace them with new rings.

“We do not think it is appropriate that the Eiffel Tower, which has become the symbol of Paris and all of France since its construction 135 years ago, should be permanently adorned with the symbol of an external organisation, regardless of its prestige,” said a statement from the Association of Descendants of Gustave Eiffel.

The association’s president, Olivier Berthelot-Eiffel, a great-great-grandson of the engineer, told AFP news agency that the family had no problem with the rings remaining in place beyond the Paralympic Games, which end on September 8.

“But the Eiffel Tower cannot become an advertisement. Anne Hidalgo should have said she wanted to keep the Olympic rings, not that she had already decided, and then discussed the idea with the Paris council and relevant people,” he explained.

Hidalgo told the Ouest-France newspaper on Saturday that she wanted to keep the rings and that “the decision is mine, and I have the agreement of the IOC (International Olympic Committee).”

“So yes, they (the rings) will remain on the Eiffel Tower,” she said, without specifying for how long.

Hidalgo also reiterated her wish for the Olympic monument to remain in the Tuileries, but President Emmanuel Macron has the final say on the matter as the site is state property.

Culture Minister Rachida Dati, a longtime critic and opponent of Hidalgo, also expressed doubts about the idea, saying the socialist city leader would have to follow procedures to protect historic buildings.

“The Eiffel Tower is a protected monument, the work of an immense engineer and designer,” Dati said in a statement.

“Protection of the architectural value and its work requires permits and an impact assessment before major changes can be made, in accordance with the law on protected buildings,” she added.

Reactions on social media were mixed, but many Parisians were skeptical about changing the city’s symbol, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“The Eiffel Tower has a 135-year history and surpasses a 17-day sporting and media event,” said the SOS Paris group, which campaigns to protect Paris’ landmarks and historic character.

“For me, it’s a mistake,” Paris lawmaker Sylvain Maillard, of Macron’s centrist Renaissance party, told France Bleu Paris radio. “The Games were a very powerful moment, but the Eiffel Tower embodies something timeless.”

The Eiffel Tower was unveiled in 1889 on the occasion of the World Exhibition.

The 324-metre-high tower of steel lattice girders was reviled by some Parisians at the time. Originally a temporary attraction to show French architecture, it was later used as a telecommunications tower for radio and television broadcasts.

The “Iron Lady” has now become the symbol of the capital and is one of the top tourist attractions in the world with 6.3 million visitors in 2023.