Paris is preparing to mark the anniversary of the 2024 Summer Olympics, but the iconic Olympic rings will be absent from their symbolic perch on the Eiffel Tower — at least for now.
Although the rings will make a brief return to the Paris skyline on July 26–27 to commemorate the opening ceremony, any effort to keep them on display permanently faces legal hurdles. Mayor Anne Hidalgo had envisioned the rings remaining on the tower until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, but the plan has encountered resistance, notably from the descendants of Gustave Eiffel, as well as other regulatory challenges.
The rings, designed by Pierre de Coubertin to represent the five continents that are part of the Olympic Movement, are trademarked by the International Olympic Committee. Paris City Hall told the press this week that they are currently in talks with the IOC to use the symbol, after which they will propose an amendment to a bill dedicated to the 2030 Winter Olympics, allowing Paris to use the rings in public spaces outside the Olympic period.
Pierre Rabadan, Deputy Mayor in charge of sports and the Olympic Games, said the amendment is set to go before the Senate this June. If the legislative green light is given, the city will launch a call for tenders and, given the “incompressible” deadlines, the logo cannot be reinstalled before 2026,” according to him.
While city officials iron out the details of the ‘Iron Lady”s Olympic addition, Parisians and tourists can still enjoy the other festivities planned for the Games’ first anniversary. The Olympic cauldron is set to rise once again from the Tuileries Gardens and will be on display all summer.
Olympic homage from Tour Eiffel to Tour de France
During the days that the Olympic rings will be projected onto the Eiffel Tower, the Tour de France will pay homage to last year’s Games as the final stage includes a climb up Montmartre, inspired by the hill’s inclusion in the 2024 Paris Olympic road races.
“An exceptional route has been designed, inspired by the course of the 2024 Olympic road race, which drew over 500,000 spectators last August,” Tour organisers said. “Riders will climb the Montmartre hill and pass beneath the Sacré-Coeur before battling it out on a stage that may break from the traditions established over the past 50 years in the heart of the capital.”
While the stage is usually marked by a sprint down the Champs-Élysées, race organisers have hoped to innovate and harness the vibrant energy that Montmartre bestowed on last year’s Olympic cyclists. The change has been met with some concern from riders, as the climb on the final leg could disrupt long-time strategies.
Remco Evenepoel, winner of the men’s race at the Paris Olympic Games, expressed his reservations about the final climb. “The first week of the Tour will already be quite competitive, and with Montmartre added at the end, it risks being exhausting,” he explained to Team Arkea Samsic.
Two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard agreed. He added that while he enjoyed the Montmartre climb in the Olympics, with a much larger peloton, it could become a real headache. “In Montmartre, there were only 15 riders left in the group. At the Tour de France, there will be 150 guys fighting for positions on a narrow climb.”
