Man seen climbing Eiffel Tower ahead of Olympic closing ceremony
The landmark has been evacuated with hours to go until the ceremony
Police have evacuated the Eiffel Tower after a man was seen climbing the landmark with just hours to go until the Olympic closing ceremony.
The man, who was seen to be shirtless, began scaling the tower on Sunday afternoon (August 11th).
Currently, it is unknown where he began his climb up the 330-metre-high landmark, but he was seen above the Olympic rings that had been hanging in the middle of the monument,
His sighting prompted Parisian police to escort visitors to the tower away from the area at around 3pm local time.
This meant that those who were already on the tower at various viewing decks were temporarily locked onto the landmark - but were allowed to leave thirty minutes later.
It comes as the city prepares to close the Olympic Games for 2024, with the ceremony taking place in the Stade de France, well away from the Eiffel Tower.
The Stade de France played host to many of the sports taking place during the games, including the rugby sevens and athletics events.
Speaking ahead of the large-scale event, France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin, said that 3,000 police officers would be deployed to the Stade de France.
As well as this, some 20,000 police officers and private security would be place in the Saint-Denis area of the capital to ensure the games come to a close in a safe manner.
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