PARIS.- The Olympic rings are going to “stay in the Eiffel Tower“when the Paralympic Games are over,” announced Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo in an interview with the Ouest France newspaper on Saturday.
“As mayor of Paris, the decision is mine and I have the support of the IOC. So, yes, they will remain on the Eiffel Tower,” she said of the five rings hung at the beginning of June on the emblematic monument of the French capital.
New rings “equally large but lighter” will be installed “as soon as possible”, since the current ones are “too heavy” to “last in a long time”, he said.
Hidalgo also said that she wants to install the ten statues of French women that appeared in the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Games along the Rue de la Chapelle, a “symbolic place” in the 18th arrondissement of Paris.
“It’s an avenue that leads to Saint-Denis and the Basilica of the Kings of France. It’s a strong symbol, I spoke to Tony Estanguet (Paris 2024 organising committee) about it and he thought it was an excellent idea,” said the socialist politician.
More plans
Hidalgo insisted that he also wants the Olympic cauldron, “an inseparable part of the Paris Games,” to remain in the Tuileries, but that decision is up to the President of the Republic, since the site is state property.
On the subject of accessibility to the Paris metro, the mayor of the capital declared herself “in favour of a complete overhaul” of the network, before stressing the “extremely significant costs” that such a renovation would entail, which would require additional public expenditure.
“Paris will never be the same,” he said, taking stock of the Games and recalling the “legacy” they left behind in the French capital.
The Paralympic Games are currently being held in the French capital.
