Olympic rings installed on Eiffel Tower, marking 50 days until Paris Olympics – National | Globalnews.ca

this Eiffel Tower It underwent a major renovation in preparation for the Olympic Games.

The Olympic rings were installed on an iconic building in Paris on Friday, marking the gathering of the sports world in the French capital for the quadrennial sporting extravaganza.

The rings are displayed on the south side of the 135-year-old landmark in the city centre Parisoverlooking the Seine. Each ring is 9 meters (30 feet) in diameter and is made of recycled French steel.

At sunset on July 26, the opening ceremony will see thousands of athletes take to the water on a boat trip on the Seine along a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) route through the city.

The Paris Olympics will have no shortage of iconic venues.

Nicknamed the “Iron Lady,” the tower will be a major attraction at the July 26-August 11 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

Men's and women's beach volleyball matches will be held at the foot of the 330-meter (1,083-foot) monument. Nearly 13,000 fans will watch the games at the makeshift Eiffel Tower stadium on the nearby Champ de Mars, where Parisians and tourists enjoy picnicking on the square's grass or watching the July 14 fireworks display.

The medals for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics are inlaid with fragments of a hexagonal piece of iron taken from the tower.

In the run-up to the Paris Olympics, the popular landmark has seen a surge in visitors.

Two giant cranes were used to lift the 30-tonne structure and install it between the first and second floors of the tower.

The Paralympics will open on August 28, 17 days after the closing ceremony of the Olympics, when the Olympic rings will be illuminated every night using 100,000 LED bulbs.

The Paralympics will bring together 4,400 athletes from 180 countries to compete in 549 events and 22 sports. Many of the events will take place near landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles and the Grand Palais.

© 2024 The Canadian Press