The iconic five Olympic rings, adorning the exterior of the world-renowned Eiffel Tower, were unveiled on Thursday, marking the 50-day countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The Olympic rings are seen on the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, France, on June 7, 2024. The Olympics rings are unveiled on the Eiffel Tower early in the morning of Friday as the French capital marks 50 days until the start of the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

The five Olympic rings, manufactured by ArcelorMittal, were installed on the iconic Eiffel Tower during the night of June 6-7, standing across the Seine River from the Trocadero Square.

"At the Games, we call these giant rings the "Spectaculars" and we could hardly do more spectacular than the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is Paris, it is France. We wanted to create an image that everyone will remember," said Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024.

Each ring has a diameter of about 9 meters, and the entire structure is 29 meters wide and 13 meters high. The installation required four cranes and a team of about 30 engineers.

"As an iconic monument of Paris and France, the Eiffel Tower is honored to be adorned with the emblem of the Olympic Games," commented Jean-Francois Martins, president of the Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE). By once again taking on an ambitious technical challenge, the Eiffel Tower, faithful to its history, brings its mark and its audacity to these Paris 2024 Olympic Games."

During each edition, the Olympic rings take place in an iconic location in the host city: Tower Bridge in London in 2012, Madureira Park in Rio in 2016, and Odaiba Bay in Tokyo in 2021.

With these Olympic rings, the Eiffel Tower is even more at the heart of the Paris 2024 Games.

The Eiffel Tower will be the setting for the competitions at the Eiffel Tower stadium (beach volleyball), at the Champ de Mars Arena (judo, wrestling) and the Pont d'Iena (road cycling).

The Iron Lady will also be at the heart of the celebrations of the champions of the Games: in the background of the Parc des Champions at the Trocadero. She finally inspired the design of the podiums and that of the medals with a piece of her original iron in each of them.

Starting from June 7, the Olympic rings will remain on the Eiffel Tower until the end of the Paralympic Games.

The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11, followed by the Paralympics from August 28 to September 8.

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