The world’s first winter edition of the Invictus Games will be held in Vancouver and Whistler in 2025, Prince Harry has confirmed.
The Duke of Sussex, patron of the games, announced Canada’s successful bid at the closing ceremonies of this year’s tournament in the Netherlands on Friday.
The Invictus Games is an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick military service people and veterans.
Twenty-eight Team Canada members competed in The Hague between April 16 and 22.
Canadian politicians welcomed the news swiftly on Friday.
“Canadians create environments that value and respect individuals for their diverse talents, and the Invictus Games will showcase that to the world,” National Defence Minister Anita Anand said in a statement.
“It will be an exciting time for Indigenous communities in British Columbia and their representation at the games.”
“Congratulations to Team Canada and everyone else from around the world who competed at this year’s Invictus Games in The Hague,” added Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay.
“We are all so proud of what our Canadians accomplished on the world stage, and we can’t wait to host the Games on home soil in three years’ time.”
In Vancouver, Mayor Kennedy Stewart said he was thrilled the city was selected to host the games in partnership with Whistler and First Nations, including Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh.
“The first ever winter edition of the Invictus Games could not have taken place anywhere else,” he said in a news release. “The legacies of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games will provide the Invictus Games Foundation the perfect stage for this monumental event.”
The 2025 edition of the Invictus Games is being billed by the federal government as the “most innovative and accessible” games ever held. They will include adaptive winter sports, such as alpine and Nordic skiing, and operate in partnership with the True Patriot Love Foundation.
The Invictus Games at The Hague were originally scheduled for 2020 but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous games have been held in London, Orlando, Toronto and Sydney.
The 2023 event is scheduled in Düsseldorf, Germany.
According to the tournament’s website, the Invictus Games were created after the Duke of Sussex’s 2013 trip to the Warrior Games in the United States, where he saw first-hand how sports can help those suffering physically, psychologically and socially from injuries and illness.