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.

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