Man arrested for climbing Eiffel Tower before Paris Olympics closing ceremony

French police arrested a man on Sunday after he climbed the Eiffel Tower hours before the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics. According to ESPN, the area around the Eiffel Tower was evacuated after the man was seen climbing the landmark around 2:45 p.m. local time. Police intercepted the man and arrested him halfway up the Eiffel Tower.

Videos shared on social media showed the shirtless man making his way up the tower without ropes. It was not clear when the man began his ascent, but he was spotted above the Olympic rings next to the second section of the Eiffel Tower.

Some guy is climbing on the Olympic Rings at the Eiffel Tower. You can see him on the blue ring.

Tourists are being evacuated for safety. Entry beneath the tower is closed.

He took 'climb the Eiffel Tower' too literally! #Olympics #Paris2024 @NBCOlympics @NBCNews @latimes pic.twitter.com/01BFmJqTOV

— kevinwinston (@kevinwinston) August 11, 2024

The monument was not part of the closing ceremony, which began at the Stade de France at 9 p.m. local time. More than 30,000 police officers were deployed around Paris on Sunday.

The Paris Olympics was a success for the United States as the country earned 126 medals. Of those 126 medals, 40 of them were gold, and that ties the U.S. with China for the most out of all the countries who participated. On Sunday, the United States ended its Olympic run with the women’s basketball team winning gold. On Saturday, the men’s basketball team also won gold with a win over home country France in the gold medal game.

LeBron James talks memorable run at Paris Olympics

“It means everything. It’s why I do it. I do it for my family,” LeBron James said after Team USA’s win over France, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “My wife takes care of the business, man. She’s the best. Without her, I wouldn’t even be in this position to be able to do what I do and love the game. I love it. So, to have my wife and my two boys and my daughter here and the rest of my family here, it was everything.”

James averaged 14.2 points, 8.5 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in the Paris Olympics, and that led to him being named Olympic MVP. “It’s an honor. I don’t know who the voting committee, or whatever the case may be, but super-humbled that they even voted for me,” James said. “But it came with us winning gold and that’s what’s more important for me. It’s pretty cool … It’s a basketball world and everybody loves the game. We just hope we continue to inspire people all over the world and we have great moments right here.”