In August 2022, Culture Minister of France Rima Abdul-Malak said she was "confident" the cathedral would reopen in time for the Games, a pledge Macron has stuck to since April 2020.

Macron visited the cathedral with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, with the pair being joined by conservation and restoration lead General Jean-Louis Georgelin.

Georgelin said the spire should begin to rise again in April of this year, as reported by French publication Le Parisien.

Kishida recalled a similar fire in 2019 in his home country, taking place at Shuri Castle in Okinawa.

"It had to be done, to give hope to the day after the fire," said Macron on the planned restoration, as reported by Le Parisien.

"You couldn't say to the French, who love Notre-Dame, you're going to take 10 or 15 years of work. 

"We must thank all the teams today and that is why we are here too.

"It was a huge mobilisation. 

"By setting a course, by mobilising on the objective, we move forward. 

"So, yes, we will meet this 2024 objective, by doing well and looking good."

Notre-Dame, a medieval Catholic cathedral, was built between 1163 and 1345 and became popular worldwide due to Victor Hugo's 1831 novel Notre-Dame de Paris, better known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

While going under restoration in April 2019, the roof of the cathedral caught fire, leading to serious damage.

Among the contributors for its restoration was the International Olympic Committee, with its President Thomas Bach pledging €500,000 (£441,000/$537,000) from the organisation's funds.