Eiffel Tower Rife With Rust, Effort to Repaint Monument Becomes 'Fiasco,' Media Says

In some places on the iconic tower the rust has apparently “won and is eating away at the iron of the monument like termites at wood,” if a new media report is to be believed.

As French capital prepares to host the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics, it seems that one of the most famous landmarks in the city is in dire need of repair, French magazine Marianne reports.

According to the media outlet, several confidential reports suggest that the legendary Eiffel Tower has in fact been in a “very degraded state” for several years.

"It's very simple, if Gustave Eiffel visited the place, he would have fainted," said one unnamed manager who works at the site.

Describing the current state of affairs at the famous structure, the magazine says that “in some places, rust has won and is eating away at the iron of the monument like termites at wood,” while the effort to repaint the tower that was launched in 2018 became a “fiasco.”

"In an emergency, in some places, a simple coat of paint is just brushed on the existing layers, which are flaking and do not hold, it's heresy," one anonymous expert reportedly said.

Unveiled in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was built and designed by the company of French engineer Gustave Eiffel, and is regarded today as one of the most visited tourist sites in the world.

With the 2024 Olympics looming on the horizon, the tower is currently undergoing a paint job - the 20th such effort undertaken since the tower was built - costing about 60 million euros, according to Reuters.