The vicinity of the iconic Eiffel Tower was cleared by French authorities following the sight of an individual climbing the renowned Parisian structure, hours preceding the concluding ritual of the Olympic Games. The climber, bare-chested, was caught off guard in the afternoon of Sunday, ascending the 330m monument. There is uncertainty as to where he started the climb though he was noticed just above the Olympic symbols displayed on the tower’s second division, higher than the first viewing platform.
At around 3pm, law enforcement officials began moving spectators away, with those briefly confined to the second level permitted to leave after approximately 30 minutes. “An individual embarked on scaling the Eiffel Tower around 2.45pm, security forces engaged and this individual has been apprehended,” declared a representative from the Paris police, choosing to keep their identity concealed due to an ongoing probe into the matter.
The Eiffel Tower, being the highlight of the opening ceremony, even featured Celine Dion performing a ballad from one of its observation decks. However, the tower is not slated to feature in the concluding ceremony scheduled for 9pm at the Stade de France, located in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis.
This incident unfolded as the Olympic games were drawing to a close and Parisian security shifted their attention to managing safety measures for the closing event. Over the course of the day, more than 30,000 police officers were dispatched around the city of Paris. The French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, stated that roughly 3,000 officers had been assigned to the Stade de France area, and an additional 20,000 law enforcement troops along with other security staff were mobilised in Paris and in Saint-Denis till late Sunday night to maintain civic safety on the final day of the Olympic Games. – AP.