Paralympics diary: fighter jets, fizzy water and politics in the pool

Ukraine’s Oleksandr Komarov (right) sits separately after refusing to pose with Kirill Pulver (left). ‘Unfortunately our enemies were allowed to participate in the Paralympic Games,’ said Komarov Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Reuters

Tuesday

Arrive at the Gare du Nord and go straight to the accreditation centre the other side of Paris. Am instantly reminded of how difficult the Métro is to use with a heavy suitcase – too bad if you have a physical disability. It turns out only 29 of the 320 stops are wheelchair accessible. The head of Paris’s regional transport network has promised a “Métro for all”, which will cost between €15bn and €20bn and take 20 years to finish – overdue, but it would be a fitting legacy of the Games. There are advertisements for the Paralympics everywhere – particularly for the fencing. This matches what we saw during our family camping holiday in the Pyrenees, the battle for the remote control in the central hub nearly always resulting in judo or fencing on the television. The Observer’s hotel is in an amazing location, a stone’s throw from the Place de l’Étoile and, to the envy of my 15-year-old son, has sparkling water on tap in reception.