Mayor Hidalgo announces that the rings installed for the Olympic Games will remain forever in the emblematic monument. Meanwhile, the Seine continues to cause concern over E.Coli levels.
Paris will never be the same again. From now on, one of the most famous monuments in the world will be slightly different. Giant Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower for the 2024 Summer Games will become a permanent element of the monument. This was revealed on Saturday by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
“I want them to remain united,” declared the first mayor in an interview with the newspaper Ouest-France. It was a “beautiful idea,” according to Hidalgo, combine french icon par excellence, originally built for the Universal Exhibition of 1889, with a world icon. The five interlocking rings of blue, red, yellow, black and green, which represent the different continentswere installed this summer between the first and second floors of the tower, more than sixty meters high.
Hidalgo made it known that he had informed the French president, Emmanuel Macronbut also reiterated that The decision was his because the city of Paris owns the Eiffe Towerly majority shareholder of the company that manages it. Besides, the International Olympic Committee would have already secured its consent.
How the Eiffel Tower changes after the Olympic Games
The mayor explained that the rings currently installed in the monument, 28 meters wide and 13 meters highare too heavy to withstand winter winds and remain permanently. They will be replaced by lighter ones built by ArcelorMittal, the global steel giant that manufactured the current set. “As long as we can keep these, we’re going to keep them; then we’ll put more in,” he said.
The city will also have to find a way to hide the rings when the Eiffel Tower is illuminated on special occasions – such as to support Ukraine in its war against Russia – because it could breach strict IOC neutrality rules.
The Seine continues to cause problems: Paralympic triathlon races postponed
Hildago, mayor since 2014, hopes to leave the city not only with the memory of successful Olympic and Paralympic Games, but also to make the Seine accessible to swimmers again.
However, The river continues to cause problems for the organizers of the Paralympic Games. The Paralympic triathlon competitions in Paris scheduled for Sunday have been postponed due to concerns about the quality of the river water after heavy rain.
The organizing committee of Paris 2024 and the World Triathlon said in a joint statement that all 11 paratriathlon races are scheduled for Monday, water tests permitting.
Rains hit the French capital on Friday and Saturday, as happened a month ago. The heavy rainfall caused the arrival of wastewater into the riverwhich caused increased levels of bacteria, including E. Coli. This is the second change planned in the para-triathlon events. They were initially scheduled for two days, Sunday and Monday, but were moved to Sunday due to rain forecasts.
The men’s individual triathlon event during the Paris Olympics was delayed and several swimming events were canceled due to high levels of E.Coli after the rains. Some Olympic triathletes fell ill after swimming in the Seinealthough it is not clear if it was related to the river water.
