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• The Invictus Games use the healing
power of sport to inspire recovery,
support rehabilitation and generate a
wider understanding and respect for
wounded, injured and ill service
personnel and veterans
• A celebration of achievement and
determination, the Invictus Games also
acknowledge
the
significant
contribution made by family and
friends in the recovery process
• The Games also aim to generate a
wider understanding and respect for
those who serve their country and
recognition for the family and friends
who support them
• The fourth Invictus Games will be held
in Sydney from 20-27 October 2018.
Invictus Games. As HRH The Duke of Sussex
explained after the Games in London: 'For
every competitor last September, there
are hundreds of others around the world
who would benefit from having the same
opportunity.' Since Invictus Games London
2014, there have been Invictus Games in
Orlando in 2016 and Toronto in 2017.
Reflecting on the first Games, Reid said:
‘I think everyone came to it in 2014 thinking
it would be quite a good Games; nobody
expected the colossal event that it ended up
being. It had a profound effect on people.
They really took it to their hearts.’
Yet there were initial concerns regarding
the quality of sport that was due to be
played, as Reid recalled: ‘The problem if
you’re doing a major sporting event is: is
it going to make for compelling viewing?
And we really didn’t know. In the end, it
was amazing – often the athletes coming in
last got the biggest cheer. The Copper Box
absolutely rocked on the night – the volume
was actually recorded louder than at the
London Olympic Games.’
Reid was keen to highlight to his team
just how poignant these moments spent
with the competitors can be; ‘I told my team
that there are going to be things that will hit
them. I said give yourself some time to have
a good cry. A lot of people did come up to
me at the end and thanked me for saying
that, it almost gave them permission to do it.’
Everyone has their own moment, and
for Reid it was an email he received back
in 2014: ‘The email was from a woman who
married an American; he had been injured
in combat. She wrote to thank Prince Harry
and us – she thanked us for having seen her
husband smile for the first time since coming
back from Afghanistan. That happened to be
my trigger, but everyone has their own.’
For British 2014 Invictus Games
competitor Craig Winspear, his journey in the
Armed Forces began in 2008, one day after
his 26th birthday. He served for almost eight
years before being medically discharged due
to his injuries. His role in Afghanistan was
‘advanced searcher’ and ‘lead searcher’,
whereby he would be sent out to search
and neutralise the threat of improvised
explosive devices (IEDs). In 2011 he woke
up in a hospital bed to find both of his legs
amputated.
‘It took me a while to know what was
actually real and what wasn’t after waking
My abilities have changed over the years and,
through sport, I have found ways to adapt so
that I can stay involved and active
NETWORK SPRING 2018 | 49