Under sea and over land: Paris Paralympics flame begins an exceptional journey
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00:00A channel tunnel exit for Paralympic torchbearers, who were greeted to rapturous applause in
00:07Calais.
00:08A special moment for those carrying the flame.
00:12It's a lifelong dream.
00:16To think that you're one of the few people who will have the opportunity to touch this
00:20flame as it travels across the country is just exceptional.
00:26Prior to that handover, a group of 24 British Paralympic athletes handed over the flame
00:32to French counterparts in the tunnel itself at the midway point.
00:36The flame's 12 offshoots now go to various towns and cities in France before being used
00:43to light the Paralympic cauldron in Paris on Wednesday.
00:48Two sports-packed weeks of competition and events are going to get underway.
00:53The president of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee, who won two athletics golds
00:58in Rio, says there is a special magic to events.
01:02What's at stake here is to give the Games the acclaim they deserve.
01:07French people and people worldwide should understand that they are above all of a very
01:11high standard.
01:13They are extraordinary athletes, not because of their handicap, but because of their level
01:17of training and performance.
01:21Organizers are promising a groundbreaking spectacle for the opening ceremony as thousands
01:26of athletes and tens of thousands of spectators gather for the Paris Paralympic Games.