Jackie Chan to carry torch ahead of Paralympics opening ceremony

Hong Kong-born martial arts actor will carry the flame on Wednesday in Paris, hours before opening ceremony, the organising committee said

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Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan will carry the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games’ flame in the French capital on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:53am, 26 Aug 2024Updated: 12:53pm, 26 Aug 2024

Hong Kong-born martial arts actor Jackie Chan was named on Sunday as one of the torch-bearers in the lead-up to the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Paris.

The 70-year-old, known for his stunts and acrobatic fight scenes, will carry the flame on Wednesday afternoon in the French capital just hours before the opening ceremony, the organising committee announced.

French actress Elsa Zylberstein and dancer/choreographer Benjamin Millepied will also take part in the torch relay.

As with the Olympics opening ceremony, Wednesday’s event will take place beyond the confines of the Stade de France, with a parade down the Champs-Elysees to the Place de la Concorde in central Paris.

Wheelchair fencing medallist Emmanuelle Assmann holds the Paralympics torch after it was lit in the UK, at the entrance of the Channel Tunnel in Coquelles, northern France on Sunday. Photo: AFP

The flame, which was lit on Saturday in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, UK – the historic birthplace of the Paralympic Games – arrived in France via the Channel Tunnel on Sunday, carried by wheelchair fencing medallist Emmanuelle Assmann.