It's only Day 1 but it's full, full, full of wonderful things. Jackie Chan added some action hero authenticity to the start of the para taekwondo at the Grand Palais and he was there at the end to hand out medals and offer a big smiling hug to the competitors. Simple. Brilliant. How can we not love the Paralympics?
Chan time
Jackie Chan's an energetic one. He was out and about in central Paris and carried the flame just before the Paralympic opening ceremony. On Day 1 he was the Grand Palais for the taekwando kick off. By that we mean the start rather than a sudden death session to determine the winner. Chan then whizzed up to Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines to have a view of the cycling. But he was back at the Grand Palais in the evening. Chan's presence wasn't just showbiz. The 70-year-old studied a range of martial arts including taekwando during his rise to superstardom. He also boned up on hapkido, karate and judo and, as he showed in the film First Strike, he is a humble student in one of the most revered forms of self-defence - the ladder method.
Horsing around
Still bathing in the felicity of the Paralympics opening ceremony, we find out that we will be able to get up close and personal with Zeus - one of the stars of the Olympics opening ceremony. The metallic horse last seen galloping six kilometres along the river Seine on 26 July will be on show at the Hotel de Ville, the headquarters of the characters that run the capital's government. Visitors are invited to discover for free, yes, really, the steed and the costume of the rider on that rain-sodden night at the height of summer. So sought after is this opportunity to gaze upon Zeus that slots sold out virtually as soon as they were made available on 27 August. Ever munificent administrators will keep doors open a couple of hours later each night to welcome more admirers of what they describe as "a masterpiece that blends craftsmanship and technology". The 180cm beast will be stabled in the Hotel de Ville's courtyard.
Next step
Zeus's owners, Sanofi, say the horse will be put out to be studied. First at the company headquarters in Paris and then it will be donated to a museum. This is not a one trick pony.
Clip-clop
We've come over free association or is that onomatopoeic? Whatever. Former Liverpool Football Club coach Jurgen Klopp was at the La Chapelle Arena to watch Wojtek Czyz play in the para badminton for New Zealand. The two have been friends for more than 20 years. Since quitting the maelstrom of top flight football in England, Klopp is able to kick back without a Gegenpressing looming in the hinterland.
Wild stuff
Mad scenes at the Grand Palais after Zakia Khudadadi won bronze in the para taekwondo under 47kg event for taekwondoka in the K44 category which means they have had an arm amputated or lost their toes which creates problems for lifting their heel. Khudadadi, who was born in Afghanistan, talks of a triple bias. She is a woman, with a disability - no lower left hand - and she wanted to be a sportswoman. After fleeing the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan, she made her life in France. Her coach, the French taekwondoka Haby Niaré, picked her up and danced around the combat arena in total joy. Not a dry eye in the house.
