Photo credit: Markerzone

Just hours before the closing ceremony, a shirtless man from the UK was arrested during the 2024 Paris Olympics for climbing the Eiffel Tower.

The 2024 Paris Olympics have been a trainwreck from start to finish. With a polarizing opening ceremony performance, gender controversy in women’s boxing, contamination and illness in the Seine, and Jordan Chiles having her bronze medal stripped, the Games have become either a laughing stock or the source of vitriol for sports fans all over the world.

Now, another figure has made a controversial moment of fame for himself during the Paris Olympics. Just hours before the closing ceremony was to be held, a shirtless man was able to pass through event security and begin ascending the Eiffel Tower. Out of an abundance of caution, authorities closed the structure and worked quickly to evacuate people from the area.

Fortunately, not long after police arrived at the scene, the individual was arrested, having scaled a great deal of the nearly 1,100-foot-tall building. Though full details have not been released, he is reportedly a 33-year-old man from the United Kingdom.

Though ascending such a tall structure unharnessed is an impressive feat of strength, skill, and tenacity, it remains an illegal offense for good reason: safety. Though far from the most controversial event in the 2024 Paris Olympics, it just adds another ark against the poor organization of the Games as a whole. Hopefully, the 2026 Olympics will prove fat removed from the issues of this year.