Daily Brew9 must-know things about Prince Harry’s Invictus Games
[Prince Harry meets Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Royal York Hotel on Monday in Toronto./PRESS ASSOCIATION]
Not long ago you could assume that a visit to Canada by Prince Harry would involve some plans to party. But the royal’s current visit to the country, which began Monday, is for a much more serious reason: to kickoff the countdown for the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto.
Spearheaded by Harry, a former soldier, the first Invictus Games featured 400 athletes competing in nine sports in London in 2014. Competitors received gold, silver and bronze medals for first, second, and third place in each event, just as in the Olympics.
The Invictus Games are just one way the prince has focused his attention on the cause of wounded veterans. Read on to learn more about what the games involve and when you can catch them in Canada.
What are the Invictus Games?
Think of them as the Olympics for military athletes who have been wounded or injured, or are ill. The international event features about 500 athletes — all current or former military members — from 14 countries (including Canada) competing in 10 sports. Invictus is from the Latin for “unconquered,” and the name itself comes from a poem by English poet William Ernest Henley.
What motivated Prince Harry to found the Invictus Games?
Harry is himself a veteran, having served in the British military. Speaking at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto on Monday, Harry said the games came out of the guilt he felt when his military presence in Afghanistan was leaked to the media and he was forced to leave his unit in 2008. As he was heading home, he saw three other soldiers leaving on the same military flight — these ones with serious injuries. He said Monday in Toronto that the experience put him on the path towards the games as a way to give back to the military community.
What event inspired the Invictus Games?
The Invictus Games are inspired by a pre-existing event, the Warrior Games. That event features athletes from the United States armed and special operations forces and the United Kingdom military. When Harry attended the 2013 Warrior Games, he was inspired to do something on an international level. “Seeing so many men and women competing against each other with huge beaming smiles made me realize how powerful this concept was,” the prince said Monday.
Where is the 2016 games being held?
This year’s Invictus Games will be held in Orlando, Fla., from May 8-12. Prince Harry and the Obamas are engaging in a friendly feud about the games. The Obamas released a video Friday, featuring one athlete dropping the mic. But the prince replied with a mic-dropping video of his own featuring an impressive cameo from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
If the games are in the U.S. this year, why is Prince Harry in Toronto on Monday?
The Ontario capital will host the Invictus Games in 2017, from Sept. 26-30, as part of Canada’s 150th celebrations. The prince is in town with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to begin the countdown for the 2017 games, which will also coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Dieppe.
Which sports are featured?
There are 10 sports represented at the Invictus Games this year: archery, cycling, indoor rowing, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
Will Toronto debut new events?
It will. The 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto will herald the inclusion of two new events: golf and, appropriately enough, sledge hockey. Harry will attend a sledge hockey match at Ryerson University in Toronto on Monday afternoon.
How many athletes will participate?
Harry said Monday than the Toronto Invictus Games will be the biggest to date, with an expected 600 competitors from 16 countries.
How many wounded Canadian soldiers are there?
More than 2,000 Canadian soldiers were wounded in Afghanistan, according to the federal defence department. Ottawa city Coun.r Jody Mitic, who lost his feet to a landmine while serving in Afghanistan, also spoke at the event Monday about the ability of events like the Invictus Games to help soldiers heal physically and emotionally. “That small little explosion took more than flesh and bone,” Mitic said. “It also took my identity as a soldier.”
