The Eiffel Tower will keep the Olympic rings that have adorned it since June after the ongoing Paralympic Games, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Saturday. “As mayor of Paris, the decision is up to me and I have the agreement of the IOC (International Olympic Committee),” Hidalgo told French daily Ouest-France. “So yes, they (the rings) will stay on the Eiffel Tower,” she said, without specifying for how long. She said five lighter rings of the same size would replace those fixed on the French capital’s most emblematic monument because the current ones are “too heavy” to hold out for a long time.

Hidalgo also repeated her wish to see the Olympic cauldron stay in the Tuileries Gardens, but President Emmanuel Macron will have the final say as the site is state property. Organizers have won widespread domestic and international praise for the smooth running of the games with Paris’ most iconic monuments providing a picturesque backdrop. Hidalgo hailed a success where the French people “fell back in love with Paris” which “will never be the same again”, citing plans to reauthorize swimming in parts of the River Seine by summer 2025. — AFP