Eiffel’s family oppose keeping Olympic rings on his famous Paris tower
The mayor says it is a ‘beautiful idea’ but the engineer’s descendants are not so sure
The family of Gustave Eiffel is not convinced that the Olympic rings should stay
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The family of Gustave Eiffel, the engineer behind the iconic Tower in Paris, has said they are opposed to the plans to keep the Olympic rings on the structure after the sporting event finishes.
The Olympics, famously symbolised by the five-ring sign, finished in the capital on August 11. The Paralympics, which have a similar sign mounted on the Arc de Triomphe, are set to close on September 8.
After weeks of considering the idea, Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo has now confirmed that the rings will remain on the Tower even once the events finish, as a lasting symbol of the city’s successful hosting.
She made the announcement on Saturday, August 31, and told BFMTV: “As Mayor of Paris, the decision is mine and I have the agreement of the IOC [International Olympic Committee]. So yes, [the rings] are going to stay on the Eiffel Tower.”
Ms Hidalgo said that keeping the rings on the Tower was “a very beautiful idea”, and would “combine the Eiffel Tower, a monument designed to be ephemeral for a universal exhibition, with the Games, an ephemeral moment that will also have left its mark on Paris and our country”.
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‘A wider vocation’
But Savin Yeatman-Eiffel, vice-president of the Gustave Eiffel descendants association, told BFMTV: “The Eiffel Tower, which has become the symbol of Paris and France, has a wider vocation than just being permanently associated with an organisation such as the Olympic Games.”
He added that the façade of the Tower is regularly “used to highlight great causes”, and fears that “by definitively associating the Tower with a particular image”, this will no longer be possible.
When asked about the idea by BFMTV, one Paris resident said they thought the rings should stay “within the framework of the Olympics” and be taken down once the Paralympics are finished. Another suggested a compromise, and said that the rings could maybe stay “for a year, but not forever”.
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