“I want the two to remain married,” Mayor Anne Hidalgo of Paris said in a newspaper interview.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that the Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower for the 2024 Summer Games will become a permanent fixture on the iconic monument. The rings, which symbolize the unity of the continents, were placed between the first and second floors of the tower, over 200 feet above the ground.
In an interview with Ouest-France, Mayor Hidalgo expressed her desire to “marry” the Eiffel Tower, a quintessentially French symbol, with the global significance of the Olympic rings. She stated that she had secured the agreement of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and notified French President Emmanuel Macron of her decision, noting that the city of Paris owns the Eiffel Tower and holds a majority stake in its operating company.
The current rings, which are 95 feet wide and 43 feet tall, will be replaced by lighter versions crafted by ArcelorMittal, as the existing rings are too heavy to withstand the winter winds. Hidalgo also mentioned that a system would be developed to “mask” the rings during special occasions, such as when the Eiffel Tower is lit up in support of causes like Ukraine, to comply with the IOC’s neutrality rules.
Hidalgo, who has been Paris’s mayor since 2014, views the Olympic-related achievements, including making the Seine River clean enough for swimming, as key components of her legacy. She emphasized her desire to maintain the festive spirit and unity fostered by the Games, stating, “Paris will never again be the same.”
The fate of another popular Olympic landmark, the cauldron in the Tuileries Gardens, remains uncertain. While Hidalgo hopes to keep it, the decision rests with the French state, as the site is governed by strict heritage rules.
