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Prince Harry, Patron Invictus Games Foundation.

Photo via wikimediacommons.com

Scott Moore, CEO Invictus Games.

Photo via invictusgames2025.ca

The Invictus Games

By Joe Leary

Published 12:28 PST, Fri December 6, 2024

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It is among the most inspiring competitive events ever staged. And British Columbia is about to be bestowed the honour as the world gears up for the next installment of the Invictus Games.

Vancouver and Whistler will proudly play host for the 10th Anniversary event, taking place from Feb. 8 to16, 2025.

The games are the creation of Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, who serves as Patron of the Invictus Games Foundation.

It was while returning from deployment in Afghanistan that he witnessed the coffin of a Danish soldier being loaded aboard an aircraft for repatriation, along with other injured British soldiers.

It’s said that the moment had a profound impact and thus became the inspiration to create the Invictus Games.

The word ‘Invictus’ means ‘unconquered’ and embodies both the courageous spirit and resilience of the competitors.

The term came from the poem, ‘Invictus’, written by William Ernest Henley in 1875. It depicts the ominous journey of recovery and is testament to their vital elements of strength, determination and courage.

‘I AM’ is the motto of the Invictus Games and is inspired by the last lines of the same poem: “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”

The definition reflects and defines the Invictus Games’ core purpose: to provide a platform for personal achievement and to compete not just against each other, but against oneself.  

Originating in London in 2014, the Invictus Games has since been hosted in Orlando, Florida in 2016, Toronto in 2017, Sydney, Australia in 2018,

The Hague in The Netherlands in 2022 and Düsseldorf, Germany in 2023.

These, the seventh Games will take place in Vancouver and Whistler in 2025 and will host a maximum of 25 nations and represent the second time the event has been staged in Canada.

Helming the event is sports broadcast veteran Scott Moore, chief executive officer, Invictus games 2025. With over 40 years of senior management experience in sports broadcast and media, Moore was President of Broadcasting and Sportsnet at Rogers Media from 2010-2018.

During his regime, Rogers inked the single largest media rights deal in Canadian broadcast history; a 12 year/5.2 billion-dollar agreement with the NHL.

No one is more ably qualified to oversee a production such as the Invictus Games, having been a veteran of numerous Olympics and worked as executive producer of hundreds of major sporting events.

The Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 will see competitors in eleven sports, including six winter sports for the first time in the Invictus Games history. Moore is ecstatic.

“We can’t wait to welcome everyone to these life-changing events,” he says.

“Our military service members put their lives on the line for us and too often get forgotten.

“Those who have suffered physical or mental injuries can truly be helped by the transformative power of sport and these Games have not only the power to change lives, but to save them.”

Moore reminds that participation in sports recovery through the Invictus Games has a significant short and long-term positive impact on the recovery of wounded, injured and sick service members and Veterans.

And research has shown that competitors experienced greater post-traumatic recovery than those who did not participate.

Beyond the actual event, the Invictus Games Foundation improves lives through access to international opportunities for sports, e-sports and adventurous challenge, and building a supportive digital community.

Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 includes eight venues across Vancouver and Whistler, including the Vancouver Convention Centre, BC Place, Rogers Arena, Whistler Alpine Venue (Blackcomb), Whistler Sliding Center and Whistler Olympic Park.

The range of events covers activities from adaptive winter sports: Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding to Indoor Rowing, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming and Wheelchair Rugby.

BC Place hosts the Opening Ceremony on February 8 and the Games wrap up on February 16, with Closing Celebration Ceremony Live at Rogers Arena.

Bell Media is the official Canadian broadcast partner of the Vancouver/Whistler Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 with national television coverage.

“Plan to be a part of this unforgettable celebration of the unconquered Invictus spirit by purchasing tickets today,” says Moore.