How Olympic Rings On Eiffel Tower Turned Into Political Battle In France

The Olympic rings will remain on the Eiffel Tower until at least 2028, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has announced. The rings were mounted ahead of the Paris Olympics and became a popular tourist attraction. However, the mayor's decision to keep them as is has received opposition from lawmakers, residents, and conservation groups, who argue that the symbol of the International Olympic Committee does not belong to a protected historical landmark like the Eiffel Tower. Her rivals accuse her of political opportunism ahead of the 2026 mayoral election.

"The proposal that I have made for the rings... is a proposal that until 2028, until the Games in Los Angeles, we will leave the rings on the Eiffel Tower," she said at a press conference.

The Eiffel Tower was a central backdrop for several Olympic events, including the opening ceremony and beach volleyball. However the temporary structures built for the Games are supposed to be dismantled, and the city is expected to return to its original state.

Mayor Hidalgo claimed she wanted to preserve the "festive spirit" of the successful Games, but her opponents see it as an attempt to leave her mark on the iconic monument. David Alphand, a right-wing city councillor and ally of Ms Hidalgo's rival Rachida Dati, accused the mayor of trying to "recuperate the positive spin-offs" of the Olympics for her political gain.

Ms Hidalgo's camp has dismissed criticism as typical Parisian resistance to change, citing the initial opposition to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre's pyramids. However, descendants of Gustave Eiffel (who designed the Eiffel Tower), including Olivier Berthelot-Eiffel, argue that the rings disrupt the tower's design and disrespect their ancestor's work.

"The rings completely break the design of the monument... it does not respect the work of our ancestor," Mr Berthelot-Eiffel, chairing an association of Eiffel's descendants, told Politico. 

While decorating the tower is not unprecedented, this is the first time the Eiffel family has publicly opposed plans related to the monument. Meanwhile, the Mayor claimed the decision was hers to make, as the tower was owned by the city of Paris. But rivals like Rachida Dati and heritage groups argue that modifications require careful consideration and approval.

"The Eiffel Tower is a protected monument that can only be modified under certain conditions and after an impact assessment," Ms Dati noted.

Julien Lacaze, president of the association "Sites & Monuments," France's oldest heritage defence association, slammed Ms Hidalgo's proposal as a way to promote herself, latching onto the Eiffel Tower like a "parasite" to "take advantage of its fame... to say these are my Games."

The current 30-ton steel rings will have to come down as they are too heavy to remain there permanently. The Mayor said the city planned to replace them with new, lighter ones.

The controversy comes as Ms Hidalgo prepares to face off against Rachida Dati in the 2026 mayoral election. Ms Dati is the outgoing culture minister and current mayor of the arrondissement where the Eiffel Tower is located.