The Eiffel Tower is riddled with rust and in need of full repairs but is getting only a cosmetic, if costly, paint job ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to several leaked reports cited by French media, reports Radio France Internationale.
The wrought-iron 324-metre high tower, built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 world fair, is among the most visited tourist sites in the world, welcoming about six million visitors each year.
But confidential reports leaked by experts to French magazine Marianne suggest the monument is in a poor state and riddled with rust.
"Ailing, rusty, is the Eiffel Tower falling down?" Marianne writes on its front page, with a touch of drama.
Unlikely, but experts claim the tower is in need of a full repair and is being given only a cosmetic facelift in time for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
"If Gustave Eiffel visited the place he would have a heart attack," one unnamed manager at the tower told Marianne.
The tower is made from 7,300 tonnes of wrought iron and engineer Gustave Eiffel himself recommended regular painting to protect the metallic structure from rusting.
The tower is currently being repainted for the 20th time – a 60-million-euro operation in preparation for the 2024 Olympics.