For example, watching handball, table tennis or fencing at the Arena Paris Sud mega-complex was amazing, but getting back from there by metro could be a challenge even for people without disabilities. Taking the metro from there, Porte de Versailles (line 12), was impossible for people with disabilities. No lifts, no scalators, lots of scales and really old equipment.

It was even funny to see that at the Malakoff - Plateau de Vanves station (line 13), going south, there was only one scalator, but it was used to go down instead of up. There were too many examples of a transport system that had never thought about people in wheelchairs. Insidethegames exposed this problem more than two years ago, but nothing has changed.

The route between the venues was very difficult for everyone, with lots of stairs and almost no scalators. Was it impossible to do anything in seven years? The main (and only) priority was safety. Accessibility wasn't as important, although the buses were 100% well prepared. 

Indeed, this week the head of the Paris regional transport network admitted that the city's metro system is "almost impossible" for disabled people. A Paralympic party in a place where the main stars of these 11 days can't get around properly. And where's the International Olympic Committee? Where has it been since 13 September 2017, when the French capital was confirmed as host? 

The first Paris metro opened in 1900 and the network has grown to become the busiest in the European Union, with 320 stations on 16 lines (at the end of June) carrying over four million passengers a day, but only 29 stations are wheelchair accessible. The systems work almost perfectly, with a high frequency of trains and almost no delays... but there are 291 inaccessible stations! 

The city's historic metro lines "remain the weak point" in terms of accessibility, said Valérie Pécresse, who as president of the Paris region also runs its transport network. She called for a massive effort to tackle the problem, according to AFP. 

While all buses in central Paris can accommodate wheelchairs, only 25% of the metro, trams and the RER suburban rail system are accessible. Most of the metro could be modernised in terms of accessibility, but it would take 20 years and cost between 15 and 20 billion euros. It would be "the great project of this decade", she said, calling the idea "A Metro for All". 

Paris' preparations for the Paralympics have highlighted the lack of accessible transport in the city. However, some measures have been taken, including "about 100 minibuses to take disabled visitors to the competition venues," she said. In other words, a cheap solution, as was the case with many problems during the Games. Sometimes the priority for sustainability had an economic background. 

There will also be a smartphone app to help them plan their journeys. The authorities are expecting up to 300,000 visitors a day during the Paralympics, about half the number of the Olympics. Many will be disabled, and most won't be able to use the metro. 

This should be an embarrassment for the International Olympic Committee (and also for the International Paralympic Committee), but in the meantime Thomas Bach is happily contemplating his retirement and perhaps handing the reins over to Sebastian Coe, one of the the worst presidents of World Athletics ever.