<p>Sunday will mark the opening of the sole new sports facility constructed in inner Paris for the Olympics this year. The neighborhood of the capital is seeking to shake its image of being a hotbed of crime and crack selling.</p>
<p>Located just within the capital’s ring road, the 8,000-seat Arena Porte de la Chapelle is a crucial component of revitalization initiatives focused on one of Paris’s poorest neighborhoods.</p>
<p><img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-396836″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/theindiaprint.com-new-olympic-arena-in-porte-de-la-chapelle-fuels-rejuvenation-fire-in-known-drug-ho.jpg” alt=”theindiaprint.com new olympic arena in porte de la chapelle fuels rejuvenation fire in known drug ho” width=”1070″ height=”713″ title=”New Olympic Arena in Porte de la Chapelle Fuels Rejuvenation Fire in Known Drug Hotspot 9″ srcset=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/theindiaprint.com-new-olympic-arena-in-porte-de-la-chapelle-fuels-rejuvenation-fire-in-known-drug-ho.jpg 510w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/theindiaprint.com-new-olympic-arena-in-porte-de-la-chapelle-fuels-rejuvenation-fire-in-known-drug-ho-150×100.jpg 150w” sizes=”(max-width: 1070px) 100vw, 1070px” /></p>
<p>At its height in 2020, the Porte de la Chapelle neighborhood was home to “crack hill,” a gathering spot for up to 300 addicts that came to represent the drug issues facing the French capital.</p>
<p>Subsequently, the hill has been replanted with trees and the police have increased their patrols, compensating the dealers and their clients.</p>
<p>“In the past two months, there have been significantly fewer addicts in the area because they have moved on,” Jean-Michel Metayer, the leader of the local citizens’ organization Vivre au 93 La Chapelle, told AFP.</p>
<p>Under measures that some organizations have condemned, migrant camps that were also a regular sight under the elevated portions of the ringroad and the adjacent A1 motorway have also been prevented from arising.</p>
<p>Metayer said, “We all hope that the work changes the area’s reputation, which is not very good, especially to encourage shops to move in.” “Doing your daily shopping around here is not easy.”</p>
<p>The 500 million euro ($540 million) municipal revamp of Paris has included the new stadium, which will host gymnastics and badminton during the Games from July 26 to August 11.</p>
<p>The socialist mayor of Porte de la Chapelle, Anne Hidalgo, recognized “the difficulty of living here because of the migrant camp and drug problems” when she launched her victorious reelection campaign in 2020.</p>
<p>Since then, the main thoroughfare—a crucial route into downtown Paris—has been completely destroyed due to traffic congestion.</p>
<p>Car space has decreased while granite-edged bike lanes, walkways, and hundreds of trees have been erected, all of which are a reflection of Hidalgo’s environmentally conscious political goals throughout his ten years in office.</p>
<p>There is now a second park at Chapelle Charbon. Campus Condorcet, a university research campus, will open to up to 4,500 people in late 2025.</p>
<p>The ambitious US-owned Paris Basketball club will call the venue, which will be renamed the Adidas venue as part of a sponsorship agreement with the sportswear company, home. The team will have its first game at the new location on Sunday.</p>
<p>According to David Kahn, co-president of Paris Basketball, “Porte de la Chapelle is an area that needs to be reborn, rebirthed, rejuvenated,” AFP said. “I think the city’s efforts with Porte de la Chapelle are excellent. It is worthy of praise.</p>
<p>The 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Paris are eager to showcase their Games as a low-budget example of sobriety, and almost every event will be held on temporary or pre-existing infrastructure.</p>
<p>Additionally, a brand-new aquatics center has been constructed entirely; it is located across the ringroad a short distance away, in kilometers.</p>
<p>While certain venues, like the national Stade de France stadium, are undergoing renovations, other facilities, including skateboarding, beach volleyball, and archery, will host temporary events across the city.</p>
<p>One of the most potential legacy successes of the Games is seen to be aiding in the regeneration of the Porte de la Chapelle neighborhood, as well as the neighboring suburbs of Saint-Ouen and Saint-Denis, where additional Olympics initiatives have been focused.</p>
<p>However, a lot of the locals still need to be persuaded.</p>
<p>Local bar manager Salim Aouchiche told AFP, “It’s great to put millions into improving the avenue, but that’s not going to resolve the security problems.”</p>
<p>Metayer concurs from the local group of inhabitants.</p>
<p>“There will be 40,000 police officers on duty during the Games.” What will happen after is the question that a lot of people are asking themselves, he said.</p>
New Olympic Arena in Porte de la Chapelle Fuels Rejuvenation Fire in Known Drug Hotspot
