Eiffel family to fight Olympic rings remaining on famed landmark
The family of legendary engineer Gustave Eiffel who designed France’s famed landmark will fight potential plans to see the Olympic rings remain on the Eiffel Tower.
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games have now been and gone, concluding a historical summer in the French capital in which numerous stunning locations and iconic venues played host to a variety of contests.
From iconic stadiums like the Stade de France and the Stade Roland Garros where an array of historic football and tennis matches have been held to lavish venues like the Grand Palais and the Palace of Versailles, the most extravagant landmarks in and around Paris opened up for the Games.
One landmark, however, inevitably shone brighter than the rest.
The Eiffel Tower is synonymous with Paris and one of the most recognisable landmarks on the planet. From the moment the Olympic Games began their famed logo could be seen shining from the “Iron Lady” offering an undoubtedly sensational display as Olympic and Paralympic fever swept the City of Love.
Now, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has caused a stir by expressing that she intends to keep the huge multicoloured rings attached to the Eiffel Tower until at least 2028 when the next Olympic and Paralympic Games are scheduled to be held in Los Angeles.
The plans have received significant pushback from the family of the legendary engineer Gustave Eiffel who designed the tower and recently released a statement saying that they “oppose any alteration that negatively impacts respect for the work.”
Keeping the rings on the tower for years to come would go against “the neutrality and meaning acquired over the years by the Eiffel Tower, which has become the symbol of the city of Paris and even all of France across the world,” reads the statement.
Gustave Eiffel’s descendants have doubled down on the original plan to keep the rings only until “the end of 2024, which marks the end of the Olympic year” and have reportedly already consulted lawyers about blocking the change.
The 330-metre Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 and is owned by the city of Paris. According to its website, it attracts roughly seven million people a year making it the world’s most visited monument.