The mayor of Paris announced this Friday that the Olympic rings will remain attached to the Eiffel Tower until at least 2028. The Agitos will leave the Arc de Triomphe for the Champs-Élysées.
The Olympic rings will remain on the Eiffel Tower after the Olympic Games, in accordance with the wishes expressed by the mayor of Paris. Anne Hidalgo confirmed the news at a press conference held this Friday, indicating that the Agitos, the Paralympic acronyms currently on the pediment of the Arc de Triomphe, would also remain visible, but on the Champs-Élysées.
“The proposal I made for the rings and the Agitos is to say that, until 2028, we will leave the rings on the Eiffel Tower and the Agitos on the Champs-Élysées. And in 2028, we will see. In 2028, we will see. If we still cannot do without these major symbols that will remind us that this was not just a parenthesis, maybe they will stay. Maybe not.”explained the city councilor. As a reminder, 2028 corresponds to the year of the future Olympic Games organized in Los Angeles.
Paris City Hall is the sole decision-maker
The mayor of Paris, who raised the issue of keeping the rings with the International Olympic Committee, clarified that the final decision was up to her: “The IOC has supported this initiative by commissioning a feasibility study. Alongside the City of Paris, we are counting on the conclusions of this study being made available in the coming months.” Rings, lighter than those currently hung, specially designed to withstand winter conditions, have already been ordered.
Kenichiro Ogane / PANORAMIC
Pierre Rabadan, deputy for sports and the Olympic Games, gave more details about the Agitos, which currently sit atop the Arc de Triomphe. They could be installed at the exit of the Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau metro station, opposite the statue of General de Gaulle.
Paris City Hall also wants the basin to be kept
The Paris City Hall also discussed the fate of the basin installed in the Tuileries Garden, confirming that it also wanted it to remain there. Anne Hidalgo mentioned discussions with the State in order to “determine the conditions for the sustainability and possible evolution of the basin.”
More information to come…
