Olympic organisers have installed five Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower ahead of the Summer Olympics, which begin in Paris in 50 days, AP News reports.
The design of the rings, made from recycled French steel, will be displayed on the south side of the 135-year-old landmark in the centre of Paris, overlooking the River Seine. Each ring is 9 metres (30 feet) in diameter.
Thousands of athletes will parade through the heart of the French capital in boats on the Seine along a 6-kilometre (3.7-mile) route during the opening ceremony at sunset on July 26.
Iconic sites at Paris Olympics
The tower, nicknamed “The Iron Lady”, will feature prominently during the Paris Games and subsequent Paralympic Games.
Men’s and women’s volleyball players will compete at the foot of the 330 metre (1,083 feet) monument. They will be watched by about 13,000 fans at the Eiffel Tower’s temporary stadium on the nearby Champ de Mars, where Parisians and tourists like to picnic on the grass or watch fireworks on July 14.
Pieces of a hexagonal piece of iron taken from the tower are inserted into Olympic and Paralympic medals in Paris.
On the eve of the 2024 Games, this popular attraction in the centre of Paris also attracted huge numbers of visitors. Two huge cranes were deployed on Friday to lift the 30-tonne structure and install it between the first and first floors of the tower.
The Olympic rings will be illuminated every night by 100,000 LED lights during the Paralympic Games, which begin on August 28, 17 days after the closing ceremony.
The Paralympic Games will feature 4,400 athletes from 180 countries in 549 events and 22 sports. Many of the sports will take place near landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Versailles and the Grand Palais.
