Eiffel family calls for removing Olympic rings from iconic Paris tower
The family of the legendary engineer behind the Eiffel Tower has said they have spoken to a lawyer about blocking Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s plans to leave the Olympic rings on the Paris landmark. Gustave Eiffel’s descendants argue that the rings would go against “the neutrality and the meaning” of the monument and that they should be removed at the end of 2024, marking the end of the Olympic year.
The descendants of the Eiffel Tower's designer say they will fight to stop the Olympic rings being left on the tower as the mayor of Paris plans.
The family of the legendary engineer Gustave Eiffel said they "oppose any alteration that negatively impacts respect for the work" of their ancestor, adding they had already consulted lawyers about blocking the change.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo plans to keep the massive multicoloured rings that were attached to the "Dame de Fer" ("Iron Lady") for the Paris Olympics until at least 2028, when the next Games will be held in Los Angeles.
But the descendants argued that the symbol is "colourful, large in size, placed on the main avenue of approach to the tower (and) creates a strong imbalance" in the tower's shape, "substantially modifying the very pure forms of the monument".
They suggest that the rings should stay in place only until "the end of 2024, which marks the end of the Olympic year".
(AFP)
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