Paris hangs Olympic rings on Eiffel Tower

PARIS: As the countdown to the Olympics passed the 50-day mark, Paris hoisted its rings on the Eiffel Tower overnight and showed them off on Friday morning.

Workers assembled the prefabricated steel rings and after dark on Thursday lifted the logo, weighing 30 tonnes and 29 metres long, into place between two legs of the tower just above its first level.

Pierre Engel, an engineer at ArcelorMittal, the steel company that manufactured the rings from recycled material, said tests and studies had been carried out for many months to ensure the success of the operation.

The rings, each nine metres in diameter, will be illuminated every night.

“It will be one of the images of the Games,” predicted Thierry Reboul, director of events and ceremonies at the Paris Olympics Organising Committee.

Only two other buildings in Paris have the five rings attached to their facades.

Earlier in the week, the rings were also hoisted at Paris La Defence Arena, in suburban Nanterre, where the Olympic and Paralympic swimming events will be held.