After a decade, the Invictus Games will be hosted in the home country, England. Prince Harry invited the paralympic games for military veterans and injured or sick military soldiers to Birmingham, England for the 2027 games. Invictus Games is an adaptive sports tournament modelled after the Paralympics, designed for veterans and armed forces personnel who are wounded, injured, or ill and was founded by the Duke of Sussex in 2014.
Invictus Games ‘homecoming’ to England
Invictus Games scheduled in 2027 will be held in Birmingham, England, a decade after the inaugural games were held in London in 2014. The venue in the United Kingdom was chosen over Washington D.C. The official announcement of England as the venue of the Games will be announced on July 23 in the UK and followed by the introduction of a new sports set which will be demonstrated by former competitors of the game, as reported by People Magazine.
The announcement will come from the team led by ex-CEO of the foundation, Dominic Reid, who recently resigned from his position. The 2027 games will be preceded by the next game scheduled in February 2025 at Vancouver and Whistler in Canada which will include winter sports for the first time.
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Prince Harry released a statement to congratulate Birmingham, “Your city’s strong ties to the Armed Forces community made it a formidable contender from the very start. Over the years, we’ve seen each city bring a unique spirit and vision to life for competitors, their families, and spectators.”
He further wrote, “We have no doubt the people of Birmingham will join in celebrating the unwavering respect and admiration we have for our veteran and service community, showing the world how their courage ignites hope and unites us all — something your city knows well.”
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Invictus Game timeline since its inaugration
The first Invictus Games was held in London in the year 2014 followed by its next editions in Orlando in 2016, Toronto in 2017, Sydney in 2018, The Hague in 2022 after a two-year gap due to the COVID pandemic, and Dusseldorf in 2022. The Games in 2027 will mark the eighth edition of the games. In Germany, last year, the Invictus Games welcomed the first African country to participate–Nigeria.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the country in May to strengthen their bonds with the country. Prince Harry at that time said, “I’m so happy with the growth of Invictus and to include Nigeria. You know what Africa means to me over the years. It is a very, very special place, and to be able to include Nigeria now [in Invictus], I’m very happy.”