The descendants of Gustave Eiffel, the engineer behind the iconic Eiffel Tower, have vowed to fight against the Paris mayor’s plan to keep the Olympic rings on the landmark beyond the 2024 Games.
The family argues that the rings, which were added for the Paris Olympics, compromise the tower’s aesthetic integrity.
In a statement released on Sunday, the family’s association, AGDE, expressed their strong opposition to any alterations that they believe negatively impact the respect due to their ancestor’s work. They have reportedly sought legal advice to challenge the mayor’s decision.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo intends to leave the large, colorful rings on the Eiffel Tower until at least 2028, when the next Olympic Games will take place in Los Angeles. However, the descendants claim that the rings being both large and prominently placed create a visual imbalance, distorting the tower’s “pure forms” and undermining its historical significance as a symbol of Paris and France.
The family suggests that the rings should be removed at the end of 2024, marking the conclusion of the Olympic year. Completed in 1889 for the Universal Exhibition and initially planned to stand for just 20 years, the 330-meter Eiffel Tower is now owned by the city of Paris.
It remains the world’s most visited monument, drawing around seven million visitors annually, with about three-quarters of them coming from abroad.
