Eiffel Tower evacuated hours before Olympics closing ceremony

The shirtless man was seen scaling the 1,083ft (330m) tower on Sunday (August 11) afternoon.

It is unclear where he began his ascent, but he was spotted just above the Olympic rings on the second section of the monument, just above the first viewing deck.

Some guy is climbing on the Olympic Rings at the Eiffel Tower. You can see him on the blue ring.

Tourists are being evacuated for safety. Entry beneath the tower is closed.

He took 'climb the Eiffel Tower' too literally! #Olympics #Paris2024 @NBCOlympics @NBCNews @latimes pic.twitter.com/01BFmJqTOV

— kevinwinston (@kevinwinston) August 11, 2024

Police escorted visitors away from the area at around 3pm. Some people were briefly locked on the second floor, but were allowed to leave around 30 minutes later.

The closing ceremony is set to begin at the Stade de France in the Saint-Denis area, well away from the Eiffel Tower, at around 9pm.

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More than 30,000 police officers deployed for final day of Paris Olympics

More than 30,000 police officers have been deployed around Paris and beyond to watch over the last Olympic events and Sunday’s closing ceremony.

France’s interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, said about 3,000 police officers will be mobilised around the Stade de France, and 20,000 police troops and other security personnel in Paris and the Saint-Denis area will be mobilised late into Sunday night to ensure safety on the last day of the Games.