An Olympic parenthesis set to last? The Olympic rings will remain on the Eiffel Tower until the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, and ” maybe “ afterwards, assured the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, at a press conference on Friday, September 6. “The proposal I made is that until 2028 (…) leave us[ions] the rings on the Eiffel Tower and the agitos [symbole paralympique] on the Champs-Elysées »she said.
“And if we still cannot do without these major symbols that will remind us that the Games were not just a parenthesis, maybe after 2028 they will remain. Maybe not, we will see.”added the elected official. “We never said that the rings would remain on the Eiffel Tower ad vitam aeternam”added his deputy for sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Pierre Rabadan, who recalled that “the decision [finale] belongs to the City of Paris because the Eiffel Tower is a building that belongs to the City of Paris. The five rings representing the five continents have been enthroned on the Seine side of the emblematic monument of the French capital since June.
Anne Hidalgo had announced in an interview given to West Francepublished Saturday, August 31, that the rings were going “stay on the Eiffel Tower” after the Paralympic Games, following an agreement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The body is conducting a feasibility study to replace the current rings, which weigh 30 tonnes and were not designed to withstand winter weather conditions (temperatures, strong winds, etc.), with new rings, just as large but lighter. The removal of the current rings is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
A petition has been launched to oppose the retention of the rings on the Eiffel Tower. “Once the party time is over, our emblematic monument must return to its natural state”argue the signatories of the petition, which had gathered more than 39,000 signatures by midday on Friday.
The future of the basin is the responsibility of the State
As for the agitosthese three red, blue and green commas hanging on the eastern facade of the Arc de Triomphe, they will be placed after the Paralympic Games on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, “near the statue of General de Gaulle”at the Champs-Elysées – Clemenceau metro station, Mr. Rabadan said.
Mme Hidalgo said to herself “very favorable” to maintain the JOP basin in the Tuileries Garden, a public domain of the State. “It has become an iconic element. I am ready to join the State in its reflection on the conditions for its maintenance.”said the mayor, while his deputy urged the State to “take charge of the matter quickly”suggesting that the cauldron could be dismantled a week after the end of the Paralympic Games.
Another material legacy of the Games are the ten statues of women – representing Olympe de Gouges, Simone Veil, Louise Michel, Alice Milliat, Gisèle Halimi, Simone de Beauvoir, Paulette Nardal, Jeanne Barret, Christine de Pizan, Alice Guy – unveiled during the opening ceremony. Here again, Mme Hidalgo wants to keep them by installing them along rue de la Chapelle, “symbolic place” from 18e district of Paris. “It’s a major avenue that goes towards Saint-Denis and the Basilica of the Kings of France. It’s a strong symbol, I discussed it with Tony Estanguet, who thinks the idea is excellent.”she said in the columns of the regional newspaper.
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