With less than 200 days until the Invictus Games The Hague 2020, the Duke of Sussex will be meeting the athletes chosen to represent the UK when he attends the team launch event next week.
The Duke, who serves as patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, will meet these servicemen and women on Tuesday, 29 October at the Honourable Artillery Company in London.
The 65-member UK team is comprised of wounded, injured, and sick service personnel, and Tuesday’s event is the first time the entire team will come together as a group. The Duke of Sussex will greet the athletes and pose for an official team photo.
“The Duke will then spend time meeting competitors and finding out more about their recovery journey and the impact the Games are having on their lives, as well as those of their family and friends,” according to Buckingham Palace.
The fifth Invictus Games will take place from 9-16 May in The Hague, The Netherlands. More than 500 competitors from 19 nations will compete in 10 adaptive sports over the course of the Games.
The Duke of Sussex created the Invictus Games to “use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of all those who serve their country” with the first Games taking place in 2014. Wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women, both currently serving and veteran, can compete in the event.
More than 30 per cent of Team UK for the 2020 Games are still serving and 89 per cent have never competed at an Invictus Games before.
“Invictus UK, a partnership made up of Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion and the Ministry of Defence, is responsible for the identification, training and delivery of the UK team to the Invictus Games The Hague 2020,” Buckingham Palace said.
The Team UK trials were held in Sheffield this July and more than 350 wounded, injured and sick service personnel competed across nine sports to earn a place on the team.
