ORLANDO, Fla. — The Invictus Games, a unique international sporting event bringing more than 500 athletes from 15 different countries, is coming to Central Florida.
From May 8 to May 12, Disney will host the Paralympic-style games for veterans or active-duty service members wounded while serving.
Britain's Prince Harry has seen the devastating side of combat firsthand when he was pulled out of Afghanistan due to a security breach and flew back on a plane with injured British soldiers.
"It was this unbelievable, powerful moment that sort of hit me smack in the face and I realized, you know what, something needs to be done about this because these kids are going back to their parents, back to their families in pieces," Harry said.
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Harry's desire to do something turned into the Invictus Games, which were first held in London in 2014. He said he got the idea after attending the Warrior Games in Colorado and knew he wanted to bring a similar event to the international level.
The 2016 games will be held at ESPN's Wide World of Sports at Disney. Wounded service members will compete for medals in 10 competitive events, including wheelchair basketball, swimming and cycling.
Prince Harry said the goal is to show what a profound impact sports can have on injured service members' recovery and rehab, both physically and mentally.
"There's nothing, there's not a single point during these games, that spectators will sit there feeling sorry for these guys. That is not what this is about," Harry said.
He said after his 10 years of service, it only seemed right that he used his position to shine a massive spotlight on individuals across the world and create a platform for them to use sport as part of their recovery process for both themselves and their families.
Cox Media Group
