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By Sylvie Corbet

The Associated Press

PARIS 鈥� Crews are rushing to finish construction in time for the in Paris, with just 18 months to go.

Delays are being experienced in part because of the impact of聽Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine聽on the steel industry.

One venue that was due to be finished this summer won鈥檛 be completed until the beginning of next year 鈥� only a few months before the Olympics begin on July 26, 2024.

The arena at Porte de la Chapelle, a multicultural, working-class neighborhood of the French capital, will host badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events. The facilities will also be used for the Paralympics before being handed over to local clubs and schools.

The steel that was going to be used for the arena was initially going to be provided by Ukraine, said Christophe Rosa, the deputy general delegate of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic delegation at Paris City Hall.

Ukraine鈥檚 steel producers鈥� union said this month that output fell by more than 70 percent last year because of Russia鈥檚 invasion and the destruction of major plants.

鈥淲e鈥檝e found solutions to source steel from other places in Europe, including in the east, in Poland, but also a number of manufacturing plants in southern Europe in order to contain delays and aim to finish the works in 2023,鈥� Rosa said last month.

The construction work, which costs about 138 million euros ($150 million), requires 1,500 tons of steel.

The place will be called Adidas Arena after a deal reported to be worth around 2.8 million euros ($3 million) per year with the sportswear company was approved by Paris City Hall last year.

The arena itself will seat up to 8,000 people for sports events and live performances, and it will become the future home of Paris Basketball club.

Two gymnasiums next to the venue will provide athletic facilities that are much needed in one of the poorest areas of the capital, according to Paris City Hall. In recent years, the location had been home to hundreds of migrants and asylum-seekers living in squalid conditions in makeshift camps that have been regularly cleared by police.

During the Paralympics, the facilities will host badminton and weightlifting events, and will later be used by a wheelchair basketball club for practice.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the only venue that we鈥檙e having to build in the city of Paris for the Olympic Games,鈥� said Eve Brunelle, equipment project manager at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic delegation at City Hall. 鈥淲e鈥檙e renovating many, including training grounds for the Games.鈥�

Other major construction work includes the Olympic Village, which will house about 15,000 athletes and officials, and the swimming pool; both are in a suburban area north of Paris.

Meanwhile, the French Senate recently started debating an Olympics-related bill that would allow 鈥� among other provisions 鈥� artificial intelligence to be used in video surveillance to detect potentially dangerous situations. Though the use of facial recognition would be prohibited, the use of AI in such instances would be a first for France. The proposal has raised concerns from rights groups.

After review in the Senate, the bill, which also addresses the fight with doping in athletics, will need to be debated at the National Assembly.