The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris had a lot of memorable moments. That cringey Australian breakdancer alone provided enough fodder for several highlight reels. But we’ve all moved on by now, right? When it comes to memories, after all, it’s wise to heed the words of whichever Left Bank philosophe said, “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em.”
Apparently, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo didn’t get le memo.
Hidalgo wants the Eiffel Tower to continue sporting the five big colorful Olympic rings that were affixed to the landmark for the Summer Games, which ended August 11, and Paralympic Games, which ended September 8.
The mayor’s plans would keep the rings on the tower until “at least 2028,” when the next Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles, reports CBS News.
Until 2028 at least? Does that mean the rings could become a permanent fixture?
“The decision is up to me,” Hidalgo told local news media, “and I have the agreement of the IOC [International Olympic Committee]. So, yes, they [the rings] will stay on the Eiffel Tower.”
Opposition to Making Olympic Rings on Eiffel Tower Permanent
But other politicians, landmark preservation groups, ordinary Parisians, and the descendants of the tower’s designer are less than thrilled with the idea.
The family of Gustave Eiffel, the engineer credited with devising the tower that bears his name, strongly opposes leaving the rings up indefinitely. In a statement released through the family’s foundation, AGDE, Eiffel’s descendants argue that the Olympic symbol shouldn’t remain because it is “colourful, large in size, placed on the main avenue of approach to the tower [and] creates a strong imbalance” in the landmark’s shape, “substantially modifying the very pure forms of the monument.”
What’s more, the rings would counteract “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 across the world,” according to the statement.
The family is fine with leaving the rings up through the end of 2024, but they’ve already consulted lawyers about blocking any efforts to let the rings, well, ring in the new year.
Similarly, France’s culture minister, Rachida Dati, disputed Mayor Hidalgo’s power to make this sort of decision unilaterally. As a “protected monument,” Dati told reporters, the Eiffel Tower can’t undergo “major modifications” without officials first doing an “impact study” and receiving governmental authorizations to preserve the structure’s “architectural merit.”
Travel back in time to 1889, when the Eiffel Tower made its inauspicious debut for that year’s Exposition Universelle, and the people of Paris would likely be astonished to learn that the 1,083-foot-tall creation that so many reviled as an eyesore would one day be regarded as something with any architectural merit at all, much less become one of the world’s most beloved, most visited landmarks.
In fact, the tower was originally intended to stand for only 20 years anyway.
But Eiffel’s family is right: At this point, the tower is a bona fide icon and undisputed symbol of Paris. To leave the Olympic rings up there would not only clutter the design but also muddle the impact by making this symbol of Paris a permanent symbol of the Olympics too.
As thrilling as the Olympic Games are—and as admirable as its values of excellence, respect, and international friendship are—there’s more to Paris than a 2-week sports competition that was held there one summer. After all, snarfing down pastries is far more emblematic of the city than the 2024 Olympic Games and you don’t see anybody proposing stapling a giant half-eaten croissant to the side of the tower (though where do we trademark this idea?).
From the perspective of the roughly 7 million tourists who visit the Eiffel Tower each year, the rings will likely soon be regarded as an unwelcome intrusion as well. We’d wager that a very small proportion of those millions will still care enough about the Paris Olympics to be okay with the rings appearing in vacation pics in 2025. Or 2028. Or, sacre bleu, beyond.
Related: The Best Croissants in Paris