Guinness World Records AWARDS world's tallest match Eiffel Tower after rejection for 'wrong matches' sparks anger – The Sun
Guinness World Records has reversed their decision to reject a man's entry for the world's tallest match model after admitting he was too “heavy-handed”.
Frenchman Richard Plaud, 47, was left devastated after the ruling body rejected his 7-metre Eiffel Tower replica because it was made from matchsticks that were not available in stores.
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The model maker was also told that the 706,900 sticks he had used had changed beyond recognition from their original shape.
And for the final nail in the coffin, Guinness World Records didn't even visit Richard's model before passing judgment.
The Frenchman estimated that construction took him 4,200 hours over eight years before it was finally completed on December 27, 2023.
The Charente-Maritime worker in south-west France was understandably furious at the decision.
“It's disappointing, frustrating, incomprehensible and not very fair,” he told The Times.
“It's part of the dream that got away,” he added, after being left devastated when Guinness wouldn't even take pity on him.
“Tell me how 706,900 sticks stuck one by one are not matches,” he continued social media.
“My match tower still stands and will be 7.19 meters tall for a long time to come.”
But in a dramatic turn of events, Guinness World Records revealed they wanted to reconsider their decision.
Mark McKinley, director of Central Records Services, told The Sun: 'It seems we may have been a bit heavy-handed with this application.
“We will contact the record holder again and review the rules for similar records as a priority, to see what can be done.”
And on Thursday, just a day after he was rejected, the decision was made to officially reward Richard with the title of the world's tallest match tower.
“I learned more about the techniques used by the matchstick modeling community […]It appears we have been heavy-handed in the application of our rules in this case,” McKinley told The Sun.
“We are therefore very pleased to award Richard the Guinness World Records title and have corrected some inconsistencies in our rules, meaning the matchsticks can now be cut and shaped as the modeler sees fit.
“We regret the distress the past 24 hours have caused at what should have been a moment of celebration for Richard.
“I hope, on behalf of everyone at GWR, he accepts our belated congratulations on his truly impressive structure – and its new Guinness World Records title.”
After the good news, Richard said it had been an 'emotional rollercoaster' to get to this stage.
“For eight years I always thought I was building the tallest structure out of matchsticks,” he said Reuters.
Richard now hopes to put his tower on display Paris for the Olympics in July.
The world's largest sculpture records
While Richard's attempt at the Eiffel Tower with a matchstick is incredibly impressive, he's not the only one trying to build the impossible.
Highest match model
As a result of Mr. Plaud's failure, Lebanese model maker Toufic Daher still holds the record for the world's tallest match model.
His own replica of the Eiffel Tower was 6.5 meters high and was made from around six million matches – a record set in 2009 that still stands.
Tallest inflatable sculpture
The tallest inflatable sculpture is held by Saitama Ryujin Matsuri Kai of Saitama, Japan.
The prize was awarded in 2012 after the remarkable green inflatable dragon measured a whopping 120 meters in length.
Tallest paper cup tower
The tallest paper cup tower was built in June 2017 by Haier Washing Machine Co., Ltd in China.
The company built a 35-foot paper cup tower on top of four Leader washing machines. Its construction took a total of four hours and fifteen minutes.
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