09/22/2017 --
Still feeling pumped up from this year’s Marine Corps Trials and Warrior Games? You’re in luck! Tomorrow begins the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada, Sept. 23–30.
Following a visit in 2013 to the US-based Warrior Games for wounded, ill and injured military personnel and veterans, Prince Harry, who served in the British Army, was inspired to create an expanded international version.
These Games shine a spotlight on the unconquerable character of servicemen and women and their families. They highlight the competitors’ “INVICTUS GAMES spirit.” These Games have been about seeing competitors sprinting for the finish line with everything they have and then turning around to clap the last person in. They have been about teammates choosing to cross the line together. These Games have been a display of the very best of the human spirit.
– Prince Harry, established the Invictus Games Foundation
The inaugural Invictus Games took place in London in the fall of 2014 and attracted more than 400 competitors from 13 nations. In its second year, the Invictus Games built on the excitement of the London Games with more than 500 competitors from 14 nations competing in Orlando, Florida. And this year the Games are even bigger — with 550 athletes from 17 nations competing.
This year’s Games will feature a dozen adaptive sports, including archery, athletics (field and track), indoor rowing, powerlifting, driving challenge, road cycling, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, wheelchair rugby and one new addition: golf.
Invictus Games competitors are the men and women who have come face-to-face with the reality of making a sacrifice for their country. They are the mothers, fathers, husbands and wives who put their lives on the line and suffered life-changing injuries. These people are the embodiment of everything the Invictus Games represents. They have been tested and challenged, but they have proven they cannot be defeated. They have the willpower to persevere and conquer new heights. The Games shine a spotlight on the sacrifices these men and women made serving their country and their indefatigable drive to overcome.
The Invictus Games are about much more than just sport — they capture hearts, challenge minds and change lives.
Keep an eye out for these Marine Corps athletes:
Join us in following #TeamUS as they compete in this year’s Invictus Games. Use #InvictusGames, #IAM and #IG2017 to track the conversation on social media or follow the Wounded Warrior Regiment’s Facebook and Twitter pages for event updates all throughout the festivities.
If you are a wounded, ill, or injured Marine or veteran and are interested in adaptive sports, contact us at 1–877–487–6299. Our call center can assist you with finding opportunities in your area or connect you with our Warrior Athlete Reconditioning program.