OHMYGOSSIP — Prince Harry’s Invictus Games will take place in Toronto, Canada from September 23 – 30, 2017.
The British royal will bring his sporting contest for injured service personnel and will feature up to 550 members of the armed forces from 17 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mike Burns, CEO of the Canadian event, said: “It’s where a lot of the competitors were engaged in combat or peacekeeping missions.
“We’re not just putting on a traditional sports competition, it’s meaningful therapy.
“It starts when they get selection by their countries to compete.
“I’ve heard on more than one occasion ‘these games have saved my life’.
“It seemed more needed to be done…there’s no ticker tape parade for those who’ve come back from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Speaking about Prince Harry, who has previously held the games in London and Miami, he said: “He’ll be there a few days earlier, he’ll want to see the venue and preparations and will attend from the opening to closing ceremonies.”
Christian Darbyshire, who will co-chair the event with Andy McCreath, said: “Our focus will be on fundraising, sponsorship and helping to raise the profile of the games nationally. It is an honour to be a part of the games and help our troops.”
McCreath added: “We were able to raise over $1.2 million for True Patriot Love in the past and we hope to be able to deliver even more for Invictus. It’s an important initiative that all Canadians should be a part of.”