The Paralympic torch arrived in France on Sunday, marking a significant moment in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games which get underway on Wednesday.
After being lit at Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement in the United Kingdom, the flame made its journey to France through the Channel Tunnel.
The torch arrived at the French side of the tunnel in the town of Coquelles where 2004 wheelchair fencing bronze medalist Emmanuelle Assmann carried it from the tunnel.
The flame was then "multiplied" into 12 Paralympic flames, and will be carried by 1,000 torchbearers in around 50 towns, in 12 simultaneous relays over the coming days.
These 12 relays will converge on Paris, where the flame will arrive on Wednesday for the opening ceremony.
On of the torches was received on the French side by Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera, Paris 2024 organising committee president Tony Estanguet, and local officials.
"It's all about inscribing sport in the hearts of people with disabilities," Oudéa-Castera said.
British athletes light Paralympic Flame in birthplace of Games near London
One of the torches travelled from Calais to the Rock en Seine music festival near Paris on Sunday afternoon, where it was carried by DJ Barbara Butch, who had featured prominently during the Olympic Games opening ceremony in July.
Other torches were carried to Valenciennes and Rouen the north of France, while a part travelled to the southern French towns of Antibes Juan-les-Pins, Montpellier, Lourdes as well as to Strasbourg and Thonon-les-Bains in the east of the country.
Hong Kong-born martial arts actor Jackie Chan was named on Sunday as one of the torchbearers in the lead-up to the opening ceremony.
Athletes on parade
The 70-year-old, known for his stunts and acrobatic fight scenes, will carry the flame on Wednesday afternoon, the organising committee announced.
French actress Elsa Zylberstein, and dancer/choreographer Benjamin Millepied will also take part in the torch relay.
Nearly two million Paris Paralympics tickets sold as excitement builds
As with the Olympic opening ceremony, Wednesday evening's event will take place beyond the confines of the Stade de France, with a parade through Paris from the Champs-Élysées to Place de la Concorde and a show put on by artistic director Thomas Jolly.
During the Games, around 4,400 athletes will compete in 549 events, which will take place in 18 competition sites, including 16 identical to their Olympic counterparts.
(With agencies)
