How the Paris 2024 Village has been transformed for Paralympians with accessibility in mind

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Just four days before the start of the Paralympic Games, the athletes village was buzzing with activity on Saturday as athletes from 168 delegations were settling into their temporary home, preparing for their upcoming competitions.

The village, nestled in the northern suburbs of Paris, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, closed its doors on Aug. 13 after the conclusion of the Olympic Games, giving organizers a week to make necessary adjustments for the upcoming Paralympics.

Laurent Michaud, head of the Paralympic Village, discussed the rapid yet meticulous transformation. The village had been built with inclusivity in mind from the start, but this final week was crucial for fine-tuning details to ensure that every aspect was perfectly suited to the para-athletes’ needs.

“All roadways, sidewalks and access points are fully accessible for people with reduced mobility. It is a 100% accessible village,” he explained.

The village reopened on Aug. 21, transformed to meet the specific needs of the 4,400 para-athletes.

Among the most significant adjustments were additional ramps and enhanced lighting throughout the village, making it easier for athletes to navigate, regardless of mobility or visual impairments. Sandy floors and grates that could have posed challenges to wheelchair users were covered with mats.

Motorized devices were also made available for wheelchair users, offering a powered boost that made getting around the village faster and more enjoyable. These quickly became a favorite among the athletes, adding an element of fun to their mobility.

One scene that captured this joy involved three athletes from Iran. They were spotted zipping through the main alley leading to the dining hall, with one athlete using the motorized device while the others clung to their companion’s shoulders, laughing as they enjoyed the ride.

Ludivine Munos, a former French para-athlete and head of integration for Paris 2024, praised the village’s setup, calling it a “paradise” for the para-athletes.

“The goal was to provide the best possible experience for the athletes during their stay, ensuring that they could focus entirely on their performance without worrying about accessibility issues,” Munos said.

Smaller adjustments were also made to enhance daily life. In the dining hall, tables were spaced out for wheelchair accessibility and some chairs were removed to create a more open layout.

Philipp Wurz, head of food and beverage, emphasized these subtle yet important changes. Products in fridges were displayed on all shelves to ensure that wheelchair users or athletes of short stature could easily access them. Volunteers were also on hand to provide assistance to athletes who required help carrying their trays. For those who wished to carry them on their laps, a thin layer of rubber was added to prevent food from slipping.

Within the living quarters, electrical outlets were installed at a height of 45 cm (17 inches) from the ground, eliminating the need for wheelchair users to strain themselves by reaching down. In the bathrooms, grab bars were strategically placed—one attached securely to the wall and another with suction cups, providing flexibility for different needs.

“The smallest details can make major improvements for para-athletes,” Wurz noted.

Beyond these practical adjustments, para-athletes could also enjoy a range of services, including a bakery, massage salon, grocery store, 24-hour gym, hair and nail salon and a free clinic all available within the village.

The Paralympic Games will begin on Aug. 28, and conclude on Sept. 8.

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Chilean para-athlete Tamara Leonelli in the dining hall of the Paralympic village, ahead of the Paralympic Games, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024 in Saint-Ouen, north of Paris. (AP Photo/Tom Nouvian)

Two para-athletes in wheelchairs using a ramp in the Paralympic Village, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Saint-Ouen, France. (AP Photo/Tom Nouvian)

A room of the dining hall of the Paralympic village, ahead of the Paralympic Games, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024 in Saint-Ouen, France. The organizers decided to remove some chairs to make extra room for wheelchair users. (AP Photo/Tom Nouvian)

A para-athlete in a wheelchair using a ramp in the Paralympic Village, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Saint-Ouen, France. (AP Photo/Tom Nouvian)

Qatari para-athlete Ali Radi Arshid poses near a motorized device that pulls wheelchair users in the Paralympic Village, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Saint-Ouen, France. (AP Photo/Tom Nouvian)

WASHINGTON (AP) — United States President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are meeting Friday amid an intensified push by Ukraine to loosen restrictions on using weapons provided by the U.S. and Britain to strike Russia.

The talks come amid signs that the White House could be moving toward a shift in its policy, and as Russia’s President Vladimir Putin warned that Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons would put NATO at war with Moscow.

Ukrainian officials renewed their pleas to use Western-provided long-range missiles against targets deeper inside Russia during this week’s visit to Kyiv by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Blinken said he had “no doubt” that Biden and Starmer would discuss the matter during their visit, noting the U.S. has adapted and “will adjust as necessary” as Russia’s battlefield strategy has changed.

The language is similar to what Blinken said in May, shortly before the U.S. allowed Ukraine to use American-provided weapons just inside Russian territory. The distance has been largely limited to cross-border targets deemed a direct threat out of concerns about further escalating the conflict.

While the issue is expected to be at the top of the leaders’ agenda, it appeared unlikely that Biden and Starmer would announce any policy changes during this week’s visit, according to two U.S. officials familiar with planning for the leaders' talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the private deliberations.

In addition to Blinken, Biden also has hinted a change could be afoot. In an exchange with reporters earlier this week about whether he was ready to ease weapons restrictions on Ukraine, he responded, “We’re working that out now.”

Putin warned Thursday that allowing long-range strikes “would mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries are at war with Russia. … If this is so, then, bearing in mind the change in the very essence of this conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be created for us.”

His remarks were in line with the narrative the Kremlin has actively promoted since early in the Ukraine war, accusing NATO countries of de-facto participation in the conflict and threatening a response.

Earlier in the year, Putin warned that Russia could provide long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets in response to NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their arms to attack Russian territory, saying it “would mark their direct involvement in the war against the Russian Federation, and we reserve the right to act the same way.”

Starmer, in response to the Russian leader's Thursday comments, said on his way to the U.S. that Britain does not seek any conflict with Russia.

“Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia could end this conflict straight away,” Starmer told reporters. “Ukraine has the right to self-defense and we’ve obviously been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraine’s right to self-defense — we’re providing training capability, as you know."

“But we don’t seek any conflict with Russia — that’s not our intention in the slightest,” Starmer said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pressed U.S. and allied military leaders to go much further. He argues that the U.S. must allow Ukraine to target Russian air bases and launch sites far from the border as Russia has stepped up assaults on Ukraine’s electricity grid and utilities ahead of the coming winter.

Zelenskyy also wants more long-range weaponry from the United States, including the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, for strikes in Russia.

ATACMS wouldn’t be the answer to the main threat Ukraine faces from long-range Russian glide bombs, which are being fired from more than 300 kilometers (185 miles) away, beyond the ATACMS' reach, said Lt. Col. Charlie Dietz, Pentagon spokesperson.

American officials also don’t believe they have enough of the weapon systems available to provide Ukraine with the number to make a substantive difference to conditions on the ground, one of the U.S. officials said.

During a meeting of allied defense ministers last week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he did not believe providing Ukraine with long-range weapon systems would be a game-changer in the grueling war. He noted that Ukraine has already been able to strike inside Russia with its own internally produced systems, including drones.

“I don’t believe one capability is going to be decisive, and I stand by that comment,” Austin said.

“As of right now, the policy has not changed," Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said Thursday.

Starmer said he was visiting Washington for “strategic meetings to discuss Ukraine and to discuss the Middle East.” It’s the prime minister’s second meeting with Biden since his center-left government was elected in July.

It comes after Britain last week diverged from the U.S. by suspending some arms exports to Israel because of the risk they could be used to break international law. Both countries have downplayed their differences over the issue.

Biden and Starmer’s meeting also comes ahead of this month’s annual meeting of global leaders at the United Nations General Assembly. The Oval Office meeting was scheduled in part to help the two leaders compare notes on the war in Ukraine, languishing efforts to get a cease-fire deal in Gaza and other issues ahead of the U.N. meeting.

The White House also has sought in recent days to put a greater emphasis on the nexus between the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East sparked after Iranian-backed Hamas militants in Gaza launched attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.

The Biden administration said this week that Iran recently delivered short-range ballistic weapons to Russia to use against Ukraine, a transfer that White House officials worry will allow Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets far beyond the Ukrainian front line while employing Iranian warheads for closer-range targets.

In turn, the U.S. administration says Russia has been tightening its relationship with Iran, including by providing it with nuclear and space technology.

“This is obviously deeply concerning,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said of the missile transfer. “And it certainly speaks to the manner in which this partnership threatens European security and how it illustrates Iran’s destabilizing influence now reaches well beyond the Middle East.”

AP reporters Tara Copp in Washington, Jill Lawless in London, Matthew Lee in Warsaw, Poland, and Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.

President Joe Biden speaks during the Violence Against Women Act 30th anniversary celebration on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, center, talks to the media on board his plane as he flies to Washington DC., Thursday Sept. 12, 2024. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool via AP)