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By Jerome Pugmire

The Associated Press

PARIS 鈥� When French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the Olympic village on Thursday, he saw a formerly run-down area poised to become an international hub for the Paris Games.

The village sits in the suburb of Saint-Denis, known in the sports world as the home to the Stade de France, where France鈥檚 national soccer and rugby teams play. But the area itself is one of France鈥檚 poorest, and it saw rioting last year after a police officer聽fatally shot a teenager聽of north African descent in another Paris suburb.

The July 26-Aug. 11聽Summer Olympics聽and the Aug. 28-Sept. 8聽Paralympics聽that follow may help raise prospects and leave a legacy 鈥� for locals and for the environment.

Construction of the eco-friendly village led to the creation of nearly 2,000 jobs, including 1,136 for residents.

It was Macron鈥檚 first visit to the site since October 2021. The construction company of Paris Olympic venues, Solideo, handed over the village keys to competition organizers.

The village cost about $2.2 billion, mostly investment by property developers but also including $700 million of public funds.

Here鈥檚 a look at some of the village鈥檚 key aspects.

Accommodations

More than 14,000 athletes and officials will lodge here for the Olympics and 9,000 for the Paralympics.

A total of 45,000 keys were handed over on March 1. The athletes will start arriving on July 12.

There will be five residential areas, each named after a well-known area of Paris: Abbesses, Bastille, Dauphine, 脡toile, and F锚tes.

Apartments vary in size but hold a maximum of eight people, with two people per room and one bathroom per four people.

Beds are made from cardboard yet can withstand a maximum weight of around 550 pounds. They were designed for the Tokyo Games, and village director Laurent Michaud said they will be recycled after the Paris Games to 鈥済ive them another life.鈥�

The raised height of the beds also helps Paralympians.

鈥淭he people in wheelchairs can actually make the transfer from the wheelchair to the bed quite easily,鈥� Michaud told The AP. 鈥淪ame thing for the accessibility of the nightstand and the height of the electric plugs, (which are) higher than usual.鈥�

As a bonus, athletes can keep their reversible duvet: blue side for the Olympics, green for the Paralympics.

A global table

How will so many athletes from so many places be fed at all hours?

Well, the main dining hall will be open 24/7, seat 3,260 people, and serve 40,000 meals daily.

Executive chef Charles Guilloy calls it 鈥渨elcoming the world to our table.鈥�

French and Asian cuisine, as well as Caribbean and African food, are catered for, along with other options.

鈥淭he restaurant is where the heart of the village is,鈥� Guilloy told The AP. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also a real place for sharing, and cooking is a moment of sharing.鈥�

There is another, smaller restaurant located on L鈥櫭巐e-Saint-Denis, which also will house athletes.

Construction work

Since construction began slightly more than three years ago, laborers have suffered 28 serious injuries, but no fatalities, across all the Olympic sites, Solideo Chief Operating Officer Yann Krysinski said.

鈥淥f course, that鈥檚 way too many, but that鈥檚 a lot less than we expected according to the statistics of the field,鈥� Krysinski told The AP on site. 鈥淲e met with the CEOs of all the construction companies to make sure they would provide the safest conditions possible.鈥�

Legacy and environment

To reduce the carbon footprint, a choice was made to use natural materials and resources.

鈥淢ost of the buildings have either the structure or the flooring made out of wood,鈥� Krysinski said.

Naturally cold water from about 230 feet deep will be circulated in buildings鈥� flooring to reduce the temperature in the apartments 鈥� most welcome in stifling August heat, and especially with聽no air conditioning聽due to environmental concerns.

After conclusion of the Paralympics, 6,000 people will use the apartments in a new residential area. It will feature two schools, an anti-noise wall to shield it from a busy highway, bike lanes to Paris, and a new bridge across the Seine River.

Also, office space will be used by 6,000 workers.

Amenities for athletes

The main fitness center holds more than 350 machines and two saunas.

There will be seven other training sites dedicated to specific disciplines like weightlifting, modern pentathlon, fencing, and wheelchair basketball.

There鈥檚 also an on-site hospital and an anti-doping center.

For transportation around the village, there will be 200 bikes as well as electric shuttles.

At a multipurpose meeting point called Village Plaza, athletes will be able to get a coffee, receive a haircut, shop for groceries, post a letter, withdraw cash, or watch competitions live on a giant screen.

Editor鈥檚 note: Associated Press writer John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.