Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has triggered a heated debate by saying she wants to keep the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower after the summer Games are over, reports BBC News.
"The decision is up to me, and I have the agreement of the IOC [International Olympic Committee]," she told the Ouest-France newspaper over the weekend.
"So yes, they [the rings] will stay on the Eiffel Tower," she added.
Some Parisians backed the move, but others - including heritage campaigners - said it was a bad idea and would "defile" the French capital's iconic monument.
The five rings - 29m (95ft) wide, 15m high and weighing 30 tonnes - were installed on the Eiffel Tower before the Paris Olympics opened on 26 July, and were expected to be taken down after the Paralympics' closing ceremony on 8 September.
But Ms Hidalgo said she wanted to keep the interlaced rings of blue, yellow, black, green and red, symbolising the five continents.
She added that the current rings - each one measuring 9m in diameter - were too heavy and would be replaced by a lighter version at some point.
The socialist mayor also claimed that "the French have fallen in love with Paris again" during the Games, and she wanted "this festive spirit to remain".