The family of Gustave Eiffel, the iconic engineer behind the Eiffel Tower, has consulted a lawyer to challenge Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s plan to keep the Olympic rings on the landmark. They argue that the rings compromise the monument’s “neutrality and meaning” and should be removed after 2024, when the Olympic year concludes.
The descendants of Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel Tower, are determined to prevent the Olympic rings from remaining on the landmark, as planned by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
The family has expressed their opposition to any changes that could compromise the respect for Eiffel’s work and has consulted lawyers to block the proposal. Hidalgo intends to keep the large, colorful rings on the “Iron Lady” until at least 2028, coinciding with the Los Angeles Games.
The family argues that the rings, due to their size and placement, disrupt the tower’s aesthetic balance and significantly alter its pure form.
The Eiffel Tower’s family association, AGDE, stated on Sunday that keeping the Olympic rings on the tower would undermine its long-established “neutrality and meaning” as a global symbol of Paris and France. They propose that the rings should remain only until the end of 2024, marking the conclusion of the Olympic year.
Completed in 1889 for the Paris Universal Exhibition, the 330-meter Eiffel Tower was initially intended to stand for just 20 years. It is now owned by the city of Paris and remains the world’s most visited monument, drawing around seven million visitors annually, with about 75% coming from abroad.
