Icon or eyesore? Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to display the five Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower permanently to commemorate the 2024 Paris Games.
“As mayor of Paris, the decision is up to me and I have the agreement of the [International Olympic Committee]. So yes, they will stay on the Eiffel Tower,” Ms. Hidalgo told the Ouest-France newspaper as translated from French to English. “Paris will never be the same again: in the minds of the French, in the minds of Parisians, in the minds of the world.”
The current rings on the tower were installed in June. Each is made of recycled French steel and spans 30 feet in diameter, according to The Associated Press.
Ms. Hidalgo’s plan involves swapping the current rings for ones that are lighter and therefore better able to withstand wear, tear and weather. The current rings weigh at least 33 tons according to Le Figaro, and their maker ArcelorMittal says they have to come down this month.
“The removal of the rings from the ground, scheduled for mid-September, as were their manufacture and installation, is in fact part of our contract,” the multinational steel company told Le Figaro, as translated from French to English.
Parisians are split on the idea of keeping the rings up on France’s iconic landmark.
“It’s stupid, the Olympic Games have a beginning and an end. When it’s over, it’s over. They have nothing to do with the Eiffel Tower, it denatures it,” a Paris resident named Denis, who lives near the landmark, told French public broadcaster France Info.
Another Parisian, Victor, told France Info that other Olympic accouterments would be better to preserve.
“I prefer that we keep the cauldron, rather than the rings, which I don’t see the use for. The Eiffel Tower was originally installed for the [1889 Paris Exhibition],” he said.
Among the detractors are the descendants of Gustave Eiffel, who designed the tower that bears his name. They say the tower is a national symbol and should not be permanently associated with the International Olympic Committee through the display of the rings.
“If its members were both happy and proud to see the Olympic rings displayed on the Eiffel tower during the games, it does not seem appropriate to them that the Eiffel Tower, a historical symbol of Paris and France, should be permanently associated with an external organization, no matter how prestigious it may be,” the Association of the Descendants of Gustave Eiffel said in a release.
For its part, the IOC is all in favor of keeping the rings up.
“The IOC warmly welcomes the city of Paris’ intention to make the legacy of the sensational Olympic Games Paris 2024 accessible to as many people as possible, including by keeping the Olympic Rings on the Eiffel Tower,” the IOC press office said, according to NBC Sports.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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