Great Britain’s Prince Harry is bringing his Invictus Games to the Walt Disney World Resort next year.
The event celebrates wounded servicemen and women from around the world competing in a variety of sports>
The 2016 Invictus Games will be held May 8-12, 2016 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
During its inaugural year in London in 2014, the Invictus Games drew more than 400 athletes from 13 countries and 65,000 spectators and 10 million more fans on TV.
The Invictus Games at Disney next year will be the first time the event takes place in the U.S. and is expected to involve a similar number of athletes from up to 14 nations competing in 10 sports – archery, cycling, indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
The idea behind the Invictus Games is that the event uses the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for all those who serve their country as well as their families and caregivers.
In case you’re wondering, the word Invictus means “unconquered” and became famous after William Ernest Henley’s 1878 poem “Invictus” which is about strength during times of adversity. The word embodies the fighting spirit of the wounded service personnel who are on the journey to recovery.