Eiffel family will fight Olympic rings staying on Paris tower

PARIS

The descendants of the Eiffel Tower's designer, Gustave Eiffel, are prepared to fight against plans to leave the Olympic rings on the tower, as proposed by the mayor of Paris.

The Eiffel family expressed opposition to any changes that they believe would compromise the integrity of their ancestor's iconic work. They have already consulted with lawyers to explore options for blocking the proposal.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo intends to keep the large, multicolored rings, which were placed on the "Dame de Fer" ("Iron Lady") for the Paris Olympics, on display until at least 2028, when the next Games will occur in Los Angeles.

However, the descendants argue that the rings are "colorful, large in size, placed on the main avenue of approach to the tower," causing "a strong imbalance" in its shape and "substantially modifying the very pure forms of the monument."

The family claims that maintaining the rings contradicts "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 around the world," as stated by their family association, AGDE, in a statement on Sunday.

They propose that the rings remain in place only until "the end of 2024, which marks the end of the Olympic year."

Completed in 1889 for Paris' Universal Exhibition and initially intended to stand for only 20 years, the 330-meter Eiffel Tower is owned by the city of Paris. It is the world's most visited monument, according to its website, attracting around seven million visitors annually—approximately three-quarters of them from abroad.