Paris prepares for 100-day countdown to the Olympics. It wants to rekindle love for the Games

PARIS (AP) — In Paris' outskirts, a bright-eyed young girl is eager for the Olympic and Paralympic Games to end.

That's because the swimming club where 10-year-old Lyla Kebbi trains will inherit an Olympic pool. It will be dismantled after the Games and trucked from the Olympic race venue in Paris' high-rise business district to Sevran, a Paris-area town with less glitter and wealth. There, the pieces will be bolted back together and — voila ! — Kebbi and her swim team will have a new Olympic-sized pool to splash around in.

“It’s incredible !” she says. “I hope it’s going to bring us luck," adds her mother, Nora.

In 100 days as of Wednesday, the Paris Olympics will kick off with a wildly ambitious waterborne opening ceremony. But the first Games in a century in France’s capital won't be judged for spectacle alone. Another yardstick will be their impact on disadvantaged Paris suburbs, away from the city-center landmarks that are hosting much of the action.

By promising socially positive and also less polluting and less wasteful Olympics, the city synonymous with romance is also setting itself the high bar of making future Games generally more desirable.

Critics question their value for a world grappling with climate warming and other emergencies. Potential host cities became so Games-averse that Paris and Los Angeles were the only remaining candidates in 2017 when the International Olympic Committee selected them for 2024 and 2028, respectively.

After scandals and the $13 billion cost of the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, unfulfilled promises of beneficial change for host Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi tarnished by Russian doping and President Vladimir Putin's subsequent land grabs in Ukraine, the Switzerland-based IOC has mountains of skepticism to dispel.

Virtuous Summer Games in Paris could help the long-term survival of the IOC’s mega-event.

The idea that the July 26-Aug. 11 Games and Aug. 28-Sept. 8 Paralympics should benefit disadvantaged communities in the Seine-Saint-Denis region northeast of Paris was built from the outset into the city's plans.

Seine-Saint-Denis is mainland France’s poorest region. Thanks to generations of immigration, it also is vibrantly diverse, counting 130 nationalities and more than 170 languages spoken by its 1.6 million inhabitants. For Seine-Saint-Denis kids facing racial discrimination and other barriers, sports are sometimes a route out. World Cup winner Kylian Mbappé honed his silky soccer skills as a boy in the Seine-Saint-Denis town of Bondy.

Once heavily industrialized, Seine-Saint-Denis became grim and scary in parts after many jobs were lost. Rioting rocked its streets in 2005 and again last year. Members of an Islamic extremist cell that killed 130 people in the French capital in 2015 hid after the carnage in an apartment in the town of Saint-Denis and were killed in a shootout with heavily armed SWAT teams. That drama unfolded just a 15-minute walk from the Olympic stadium that will host track and field and rugby and the closing ceremonies.

Concretely, the Games will leave a legacy of new and refurbished sports infrastructure in Seine-Saint-Denis, although critics say the investment still isn't enough to catch it up with better equipped, more prosperous regions.

Mamitiana Rabarijaona grew up close to the Olympic stadium, built originally for the 1998 soccer World Cup. He says it didn't provide much of a boost for Seine-Saint-Denis residents. He believes the Olympics will be “a big party" and he will be among 45,000 volunteers who'll be helping. But he is not expecting Olympic-related investments to magically erase Seine-Saint-Denis' many difficulties.

“It's like lifting the carpet and brushing the dust underneath,” he said. “It doesn't make it go away.”

Seine-Saint-Denis got the new Olympic village that will become housing and offices when the 10,500 Olympians and 4,400 Paralympians have left. It also is home to the Games' only purpose-built competition venue, an aquatics center for diving, water polo and artistic swimming events. Other competition venues already existed, were previously planned or will be temporary.

"We really were driven by the ambition of sobriety and above all not to build sports facilities that aren’t needed and which will have no reason to exist after the Games,” Marie Barsacq, the organizing committee's legacy director, said in an interview.

The hand-me-down 50-meter pool for Sevran will be a significant upgrade. The Seine-Saint-Denis town of 51,000 people was whacked by factory closures in the 1990s. Its existing 25-meter pool is nearly 50 years old.

Other Seine-Saint-Denis towns are also getting new or renovated pools — particularly welcome for the region's children, because only half of them can swim.

“The ambition for these Olympic Games ... is that they benefit everyone and for the longest time possible,” said Sevran Mayor Stéphane Blanchet. The Olympics, Blanchet said, can't “carry on just passing though and then moving on without thinking about tomorrow.”

At close to 9 billion euros ($9.7 billion), more than half from sponsors, ticket sales and other non-public funding, Paris' expenses so far are less than for the last three Summer Games in Tokyo, Rio and London in 2012.

Including policing and transport costs, the portion of the bill for French taxpayers is likely to be around 3 billion euros ($3.25 billon), France's body for auditing public funds said in its most recent study in July.

Security remains a challenge for the city repeatedly hit by deadly extremist violence. The government downsized ambitions to have 600,000 people lining the River Seine for the opening ceremony. Citing the risk of attacks, it shelved a promise that anyone could apply for hundreds of thousands of free tickets. Instead, the 326,000 spectators will either be paying ticket-holders or have been invited.

Privacy advocates are critical of video surveillance technology being deployed to spot security threats. Campaigners for the homeless are concerned that they will be swept off streets. Many Parisians plan to leave, to avoid the disruptions or to rent their homes to the expected 15 million visitors. With trade unions pushing for Olympic bonuses, strikes are also possible.

And all this against an inflammable backdrop of geopolitical crises including but not limited to the Israel-Hamas war and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As a consequence, the IOC isn't allowing athletes from Russia and ally Belarus to parade with other Olympians at the opening ceremony.

Still, Olympics fans expect big things of Paris. They include Ayaovi Atindehou, a 32-year-old trainee doctor from Togo studying in France. The Olympic volunteer believes the Games can bridge divisions, even if just temporarily.

“The whole world without racial differences, ethnic differences, religious differences. We will be all together, shouting, celebrating," he said. “We need the Olympic Games."

AP Olympics coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Stephane Blanchet, mayor of the Paris-region town of Sevran,second from left, and other officials pour jugs of water at a Jan. 24, 2024, ceremony to celebrate the start of building works to accommodate a new swimming pool in Sevran. The town of 51,000 people in the Seine-Saint-Denis region north of Paris is inheriting one of the pools that will be used for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/John Leicester)

Swimmers train at the public swimming pool in the Paris-region town of Sevran, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. The town of 51,000 people in the Seine-Saint-Denis region north of Paris is inheriting one of the pools that will be used for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer. The 50-meter pool Olympic pool for Sevran will be a significant upgrade. Its existing 25-meter pool is nearly 50 years old. (AP Photo/John Leicester)

Swimmers race at the public swimming pool in the Paris-region town of Sevran Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. The town of 51,000 people in the Seine-Saint-Denis region north of Paris is inheriting one of the pools that will be used for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer. The 50-meter pool Olympic pool for Sevran will be a significant upgrade. Its existing 25-meter pool is nearly 50 years old. (AP Photo/John Leicester)

Children listen to a swim coach at the public swimming pool in the Paris-region town of Sevran, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. The town of 51,000 people in the Seine-Saint-Denis region north of Paris is inheriting one of the pools that will be used for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer. The 50-meter pool Olympic pool for Sevran will be a significant upgrade. Its existing 25-meter pool is nearly 50 years old. (AP Photo/John Leicester)

Competitors play water polo at the public swimming pool in the Paris-region town of Sevran, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. The town of 51,000 people in the Seine-Saint-Denis region north of Paris is inheriting one of the pools that will be used for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer. The 50-meter pool Olympic pool for Sevran will be a significant upgrade. Its existing 25-meter pool is nearly 50 years old. (AP Photo/John Leicester)

Stands are under construction on the Champ-de-Mars, foreground, with the Eiffel Tower in background, Monday, April 15, 2024 in Paris. The Champ-de-Mars will host the Beach Volleyball and Blind Football at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

The Eiffel Tower and the Champs-de-Mars at its feet, the Invalides monument and its dome, right, are seen Monday, April 15, 2024 in Paris. The Champ-de-Mars will host the Beach Volleyball and Blind Football and the Invalides will host the Cycling road, Archery and Athetics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Copies of one of the most famous Greek statues, the Venus of Milo, are installed on the steps of the French National Assembly in Paris, France, Monday, April 15, 2024, to celebrate the Olympic spirit. The Venus, by artist Laurent Perbos, has regained her arms and is now equipped with the attributes of six sporting disciplines. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Copies of one of the most famous Greek statues, the Venus of Milo, are installed on the steps of the French National Assembly in Paris, France, Monday, April 15, 2024, to celebrate the Olympic spirit. The Venus, by artist Laurent Perbos, has regained her arms and is now equipped with the attributes of six sporting disciplines. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Paris city, with the Eiffel Tower at center, are pictured Monday, April 15, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Stands are under construction on the Champ-de-Mars with the Eiffel Tower, Monday, April 15, 2024 in Paris. The Champ-de-Mars will host the Beach Volleyball and Blind Football at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Le Defense business district is seen in background. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of protesters took over a building at Columbia University in New York early Tuesday, barricading the entrances and unfurling a Palestinian flag out of a window in the latest escalation of demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war that have spread to college campuses nationwide.

Video footage showed protesters on Columbia's Manhattan campus locking arms in front of Hamilton Hall early Tuesday and carrying furniture and metal barricades to the building, one of several that was occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protest on the campus. Posts on an Instagram page for protest organizers shortly after midnight urged people to protect the encampment and join them at Hamilton Hall.

The student radio station, WKCR-FM, broadcasted a play-by-play of the hall’s takeover – which occurred nearly 12 hours after Monday’s 2 p.m. deadline for the protesters to leave an encampment of around 120 tents or face suspension. Representatives for the university did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment early Tuesday.

Universities across the U.S. are grappling with how to clear out encampments as commencement ceremonies approach, with some continuing negotiations and others turning to force and ultimatums that have resulted in clashes with police. Dozens of people were arrested Monday during protests at universities in Texas and Virginia, while Columbia said hours before the takeover of Hamilton Hall that it had started suspending students.

Demonstrators are sparring over the Israel-Hamas war and its mounting death toll, and the number of arrests at campuses nationwide is approaching 1,000 as the final days of class wrap up. The outcry is forcing colleges to reckon with their financial ties to Israel, as well as their support for free speech. Some Jewish students say the protests have veered into antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus.

At the University of Texas at Austin, an attorney said at least 40 demonstrators were arrested Monday. The confrontation was an escalation on the 53,000-student campus in the state's capital, where more than 50 protesters were arrested last week.

Later Monday, dozens of officers in riot gear at the University of Utah sought to break up an encampment outside the university president’s office that went up in the afternoon. Police dragged students off by their hands and feet, snapping the poles holding up tents and zip-tying those who refused to disperse. The university says it’s against code to camp overnight on school property and that the students were given several warnings to disperse before police were called in.

The plight of students who have been arrested has become a central part of protests, with the students and a growing number of faculty demanding amnesty for protesters. At issue is whether the suspensions and legal records will follow students through their adult lives.

The Texas protest and others — including in Canada and Europe — grew out of Columbia's early demonstrations that have continued. On Monday, student activists defied the 2 p.m. deadline to leave the encampment. Instead, hundreds of protesters remained. A handful of counter-demonstrators waved Israeli flags, and one held a sign reading, “Where are the anti-Hamas chants?”

While the university didn’t call police to roust the demonstrators, school spokesperson Ben Chang said suspensions had started but could provide few details. Protest organizers said they were not aware of any suspensions as of Monday evening.

Columbia’s handling of the demonstrations also has prompted federal complaints.

A class-action lawsuit on behalf of Jewish students alleges a breach of contract by Columbia, claiming the university failed to maintain a safe learning environment, despite policies and promises. It also challenges the move away from in-person classes and seeks quick court action requiring Columbia to provide security for the students.

Meanwhile, a legal group representing pro-Palestinian students is urging the U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights office to investigate Columbia’s compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for how they have been treated.

A university spokesperson declined to comment on the complaints.

In a rare case, Northwestern University said it reached an agreement with students and faculty who represent the majority of protesters on its campus near Chicago. It allows peaceful demonstrations through the June 1 end of spring classes and in exchange, requires removal of all tents except one for aid, and restricts the demonstration area to allow only students, faculty and staff unless the university approves otherwise.

At the University of Southern California, organizers of a large encampment sat down with university President Carol Folt for about 90 minutes on Monday. Folt declined to discuss details but said she heard the concerns of protesters and talks would continue Tuesday.

USC sparked a controversy April 15 when officials refused to allow the valedictorian, who has publicly supported Palestinians, to make a commencement speech, citing nonspecific security concerns for their rare decision. Administrators then scrapped the keynote speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu, who is an alumnus, and declined to award any honorary degrees.

The backlash, as well as Columbia's demonstrations, inspired the encampment and protests on campus last week week where 90 people were arrested by police in riot gear. The university has canceled its main graduation event.

Administrators elsewhere tried to salvage their commencements and several have ordered the clearing of encampments in recent days. When those efforts have failed, officials threatened discipline, including suspension, and possible arrest.

But students dug in their heels at other high-profile universities, with standoffs continuing at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Yale and others. Police in riot gear at Virginia Commonwealth University sought to break up an encampment there late Monday and clashed with protesters.

Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas, and Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Hannah Schoenbaum, Sarah Brumfield, Stefanie Dazio, Christopher Weber, Carolyn Thompson, David Collins, Makiya Seminera and Corey Williams.

FILE - Part of some estimated 300 students at Columbia University are shown milling around Hamilton Hall on the campus in New York, April 24, 1968. The students are protesting the construction of a gymnasium in a public park and the university's participation in a defense-related program. A couple of students stand on pedestal of the statue of Alexander Hamilton while others hang a poster of Stokely Carmichael from the balcony of the building along with a Viet Cong flag. (AP Photo/Jacob Harris, File)

Police arrive at a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Demonstrators and law enforcement officers clash during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Law enforcement officers hold shields during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Demonstrators stand behind a sign in preparation for police to arrive during a pro-Palestinian rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

University of Oregon students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A University of Oregon student carves a design into a stamp to be used on cloth at a tent encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A student at the University of Oregon sets up a sign that reads "Divest from death" as students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A student at the University of Oregon looks into a tent with other students at an encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Pro-Palestinian protesters continued to occupy the grounds at University of California, Los Angeles in front of Royce Hall on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Los Angeles. Security has surrounded the encampment after a skirmish broke out Sunday between the Pro-Palestianian protesters and Israel supporters. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)

Speakers take turns addressing a rally on Francis Quadrangle at the University of Missouri campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. Students staged a walkout and demonstration calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. The group made up of about 300 peopl, met at Lowry Mall and walked to the Quad and back. (Brian W. Kratzer/Missourian via AP)

A person who declined to give their name maneuvers among tents at an encampment by students protesting against the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Barricades torn down by demonstrators are piled in the center of an encampment by students protesting against the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Israel supporters look on at a pro-Palestinian encampment in front of Royce Hall at UCLA, Monday, April 29, 2024. Pro-Palestinian supporters joined in a march from their encampment in front of Royce Hall to areas around the campus. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)

Pro-Palestinian protesters stand with linked arms surrounded by Texas state troopers and police at an encampment at University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

State troopers arrest a person at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A protester is taken away by University of Texas at Austin police at an encampment on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Student protesters march round their encampment on the Columbia University campus, Monday, April 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

A sign is shown written over to read "University of Palestine" at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Washington campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Seattle. The group is demanding that the university divest from Israel and cut ties with Boeing, which manufactures products used by Israel Defense Forces. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A state trooper pepper sprays protesters at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

State troopers arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

University of South Florida police officers take pro-Palestinian protesters into custody during a march on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

People gather on the grass at a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Washington campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Seattle. The group is demanding that the university divest from Israel and cut ties with Boeing, which manufactures products used by Israel Defense Forces. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A pro-Palestinian protester is grabbed by University of South Florida police as they begin to clash on campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Police arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday April 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A pro-Palestinian protester yells "Free Palestine" as she is handcuffed by University of Texas at Austin police on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A Palestinian flag flutters in the wind as University of Oregon students set up a tent encampment at the university to protest the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Police pepper spray pro-Palestinian protesters blocking police vehicles from leaving the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday, April 29, 2024. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A student at the University of Oregon is silhouetted in front of a Palestinian flag inside a tent encampment at the university that was set up to protest the Israel-Hamas war, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A pro-Palestinian protester yells as state troopers stand during a protest at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Monday April, 29, 2024. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)