MISSION
The Invictus Games aims to provide new opportunities for active servicemembers and veterans who paid a high price for their dedication to their country and its people. We know that support is much more productive than compassion, and therefore we are building a community to bring together people with similar experiences to help them, through the support of family, friends and society, to overcome the consequences of their war wounds, injuries and illnesses.
The Invictus Games in Ukraine support Ukrainian servicemembers and veterans on their road to physical recovery, psychological rehabilitation, social integration and self-development by helping them form a positive outlook and motivating them to do sports.
The Invictus Games seeks to promote the development and popularization of sports as an effective means of rehabilitation among wounded soldiers and to encourage the state and society to create the conditions necessary for this.
Invictus Games values:
- Support. We believe that the support of your brothers in arms, family and friends is the foundation for successful recovery from wounds and injuries.
- Expanded capabilities. We believe that wounded soldiers should have proper opportunities for their rehabilitation and for them to return to living a full life regardless of the level or type of wound, injury or illness.
- Dedication. We support the participants in their desire to reach new goals in their rehabilitation through sport.
- Respect. We respect the experience of the participants and want to create a community based on respect for the experience of each participant and mutual understanding.
- Courage. We are inspired by the unconquered spirit of our participants and motivate them to go outside their comfort zone and to look at their future bravely.
Invictus Games History
The word ‘Invictus’ is Latin for ‘unconquered’ and embodies the fighting spirit of the servicemen and women who became wounded, injured or ill fulfilling their duties on the battlefield. They have been tested and challenged, but they have not been overcome. They have proven that faith in yourself and the support of family and friends is always stronger than circumstances, and have become truly Invictus warriors.
Most of us will never know the horrors of combat. Horrors so great that many servicemen and women suffer life-changing injuries, both visible and invisible, while serving their countries. How do these men and women find the motivation to move on and not be defined by their injuries? How can we challenge social perceptions about people with disabilities and tell the world about the power of support on the road to recovery? Prince Harry not only asked but answered these questions.
On a trip to the Warrior Games in the United States in 2013, HRH The Duke of Sussexsaw the positive impact sport could have on the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and ill servicemen and women. The Invictus Games Foundation was established and in 2014 London hosted the inaugural Invictus Games with more than 400 competitors from 13 nations.
The second Invictus Games took place in May 2016 in Orlando, Florida, and built on the excitement of the London Games with more than 500 competitors from 15 nations. The third Games in Toronto, Canada, in September 2017, were the biggest Games to date and will be remembered in Ukraine for its Invictus debut.
In 2018 Australia became the fourth country to host the Invictus Games. Participants from 18 nations, including Ukraine, competed ‘down under’ in 11 adaptive sports.
The fifth Invictus Games will be held on May 29 – June 05, 2021 in The Hague, The Netherlands. Team Ukraine will expand its participation in the competition next year – given the strong organization and popularity of the Games in Ukraine, the Invictus Games Foundation increased the quota for the Ukrainian team from 15 to 20 members.