Jackie Chan to Carry Torch Ahead of Paralympic Opening Ceremony 

Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan sings on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 13th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) in Beijing, on April 21, 2023. (AFP)
Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan sings on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 13th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) in Beijing, on April 21, 2023. (AFP)
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Jackie Chan to Carry Torch Ahead of Paralympic Opening Ceremony 

Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan sings on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 13th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) in Beijing, on April 21, 2023. (AFP)
Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan sings on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 13th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) in Beijing, on April 21, 2023. (AFP)

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 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 organizing committee announced.

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

As with the Olympic 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.

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

"It's all about inscribing sport in the hearts of people with disabilities," said French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera who was on hand to welcome the flame, alongside Tony Estanguet, head of the organizing committee.

The flame was due to continue its journey where it would be "multiplied" into 12 Paralympic flames, which will be carried by 1,000 torchbearers in around 50 towns, in 12 simultaneous relays.

These 12 relays will converge on Paris, where the flame will arrive on Wednesday for the opening ceremony.



RB Leipzig Fire Coach Marco Rose

(FILES) Leipzig's German head coach Marco Rose reacts from the sidelines during the German Cup (DFB Pokal) quarter final football match between RB Leipzig and VfL Wolfsburg in Leipzig, eastern Germany, on February 26, 2025. (Photo by Ronny Hartmann / AFP)
(FILES) Leipzig's German head coach Marco Rose reacts from the sidelines during the German Cup (DFB Pokal) quarter final football match between RB Leipzig and VfL Wolfsburg in Leipzig, eastern Germany, on February 26, 2025. (Photo by Ronny Hartmann / AFP)
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RB Leipzig Fire Coach Marco Rose

(FILES) Leipzig's German head coach Marco Rose reacts from the sidelines during the German Cup (DFB Pokal) quarter final football match between RB Leipzig and VfL Wolfsburg in Leipzig, eastern Germany, on February 26, 2025. (Photo by Ronny Hartmann / AFP)
(FILES) Leipzig's German head coach Marco Rose reacts from the sidelines during the German Cup (DFB Pokal) quarter final football match between RB Leipzig and VfL Wolfsburg in Leipzig, eastern Germany, on February 26, 2025. (Photo by Ronny Hartmann / AFP)

RB Leipzig have fired coach Marco Rose, days out from a German Cup semi-final clash at Stuttgart, the club said in a statement on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp, Head of Soccer at parent company Red Bull, was not named in the statement and has said previously he would not step in as coach, whether on a permanent or interim basis.

Leipzig slipped to sixth in the table after Saturday's 1-0 loss at Borussia Moenchengladbach, their sixth successive away match without a win, AFP reported.

Leipzig-born Rose took over in September 2022 and guided them to a German Cup triumph in his first season in charge.

"We believed in Marco and his team for a very long time and tried everything until the very end to turn things around together," sporting director Marcel Schaefer said in a statement.

"However, given the current situation and the lack of results, we are firmly convinced that we need a new impetus for the remaining games to achieve our goals this season."

Leipzig thanked Rose for his time at the club but the coach was not quoted in the statement.