Jackie Chan takes centre stage in Paris Paralympic flame ceremony

For the first time, the Paris Paralympics will feature 4,400 athletes and share an emblem with the Olympics

Jackie Chan, the globally renowned Chinese martial arts actor, will carry the Paralympic flame on Wednesday ahead of the Paris Paralympic Games. The 70-year-old actor, known for his 145 film titles, will participate in a relay in central Paris, as announced by the Organising Committee.

The Paralympic flame arrived in France on Sunday after crossing the English Channel. It was lit the previous day in Stoke Mandeville, UK, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. The flame then traveled to the French capital, where it joined the 80th anniversary commemoration of Paris' liberation from Nazi occupation on August 25, 1944.

The relay will pass through Châlons-en-Champagne, home to France's only gymnasium specifically designed for people with intellectual disabilities. It will also visit Rouen, Chartres, and Troyes, cities that offer a wide range of para sports, including sledge hockey, para tennis, para triathlon, adapted baseball, and para climbing.

The flame will stop in Chambly, a location with three sports facilities adapted for para sports, and which has served as a training camp alongside Deauville and Antibes.

On Wednesday, the 12 separate flames from various relays will unite in central Paris. The final relay will pass through iconic sites before lighting the cauldron during the three-hour opening ceremony. Notably, this cauldron is the first in Olympic history to be lit without fossil fuels, using water and electric light attached to a balloon. It made its debut at the Olympics opening ceremony with a striking flight.

Throughout the Paralympics, the cauldron will soar 60 meters above the Tuileries gardens each evening from sunset until 2 am.

The Paris Paralympics, held from August 28 to September 8, will feature 4,400 athletes from 182 countries. It is the first time Paris will host the event, and these Games will be the most equal in history, sharing an emblem and mascot with the Olympic Games for the first time.