Shirtless man climbs the Eiffel Tower hours before the Olympics closing ceremony in Paris

A shirtless man was spotted climbing the Eiffel Tower hours before the Olympics closing ceremony in Paris; videos of the climber went viral as people were evacuated for safety.

Man climbs Eiffel Tower before the Olympics closing ceremony

The 2024 Games opened and closed with unprecedented incidents; while the opening was interrupted by the threatening attacks on French railways, the closing saw a man frantically climbing the Eiffel Tower with his bare hands.

Around 4pm on Sunday, August 11, Paris police had to evacuate the area around the iconic landmark, as a shirtless man made his way up the 330m tower. French police reported that they “immediately intervened and arrested” the man, evacuating the space. Visitors on the second floor of the tower were briefly locked and allowed to exit around 30 minutes later.

Videos of the bare-chested climber went viral, as he made his way up, grinning and saying “bloody warm, innit?” when escorted by the police. The climber became the latest person to attempt to scale the Eiffel Tower, since a similar case in 2019. The incident was seen by hundreds of tourists and residents looking forward to the closing ceremony.

Surprises and performances at the Olympics closing ceremony

Although the Eiffel Tower will not be part of the closing ceremony, it served stunningly as a backdrop for the opening ceremony with a performance by Celine Dion. The closing ceremony will also host memorable musicians, including the iconic rapper Snoop Dog, pop idol Billie Eilish and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Rumours are also spreading about a potential stunt from the Hollywood star Tom Cruise.

The closing ceremony will begin at 9pm and last until 10.30pm, streamed live on television and YouTube. Paris´s mayor Anne Hidalgo is set to pass over the Olympic flag to Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, as the R&B singer H.E.R. will perform the US national anthem. The next Olympic Games were confirmed to take place in LA.

More than 30,000 police officers were deployed in Paris for the closing event, ensuring complete safety to mark the end of the 2024 Paris Games with no further surprises.