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| Prince Harry at an Invictus Games event in London on May 7, 2024. PHOTO: CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY IMAGES |
The Duke of Sussex has welcomed Birmingham, England, to be the venue for the 2027 games
Prince Harry's Invictus Games will once again be held in England.
The latest city to win the chance to hold the Duke of Sussex's paralympic-style adaptive sports tournament for veterans and wounded, injured and sick armed forces personnel is Birmingham, England.
The selection of the city, which was chosen over Washington, D.C., brings the Invictus Games back to the U.K. for the first time since the inaugural competition was held in London in 2014.
The announcement came on July 23 in the U.K. by a team led by Dominic Reid, CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation, who recently announced he will step down in 2025.
The Invictus Games Birmingham will take place in July 2027, following the next games scheduled for February 2025 in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada, which will feature winter sports for the first time.
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| Prince Harry, with his friend and former Invictus Games competitor David Wiseman in Orlando, Florida in 2016. CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY |
In a statement, Prince Harry, 39, congratulated Birmingham, noting: "Your city’s strong ties to the Armed Forces community made it a formidable contender from the very start. Over the years, we’ve seen each city bring a unique spirit and vision to life for competitors, their families, and spectators."
"We have no doubt the people of Birmingham will join in celebrating the unwavering respect and admiration we have for our veteran and service community, showing the world how their courage ignites hope and unites us all — something your city knows well.”
On Tuesday, July 23, the British Minister for Veterans and People, the Rt Hon Al Carns, will take part in a flag-raising ceremony at the city's National Exhibition Centre to announce the venue. He said the Invictus Games "harness the power of sport to supercharge the recovery and rehabilitation of military personnel and veterans. We will always support our wounded, sick and injured service members and veterans. The Invictus Games are just one of the ways we provide long-term support to our service members and veterans facing illness or injury. »
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during the wheelchair basketball final between the United States and France at the Invictus Games on September 13, 2023 in Düsseldorf, Germany. PATRICK VAN KATWIJK/GETTY |
The announcement will be followed by a presentation of the new sports that will be included in the event: handball and laser tag. Former Invictus Games competitors will take part in the protest on 23 July.
Lord Allen, chairman of the Invictus Games Foundation, praised “the deep passion of the bid team, the experience she brought to the planning and preparation and the idea of the NEC as a unique Olympic venue.
“We would like to thank the team behind the Washington DC bid who have been able to demonstrate that this city can be a great place for the future. As the Foundation looks forward to the next ten years, we are excited about the Games pipeline we are building and the next ten years of Invictus!
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| Prince Harry poses with the Ukrainian team during the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany, September 12, 2023. CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY IMAGES FOR INVICTUS GAMES PLATFORM |
Since its inaugural game in 2014, Invictus Games has traveled the world, with the 2027 event marking the eighth edition of this epic competition. The event took place in London (2014), Orlando (2016), Toronto (2017), Sydney (2018), The Hague (2022, postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic) and Düsseldorf (September 2023), British Columbia is scheduled to host the next Olympics in February.
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| Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend a sitting volleyball exhibition match at Nigeria Unconquered in Abuja, Nigeria, May 11 May 2024. KOLA SULAIMON/AFP VIA GETTY |
Last year in Germany, the Invictus Games welcomed Nigeria as the first African country to participate. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle visited the country in May to highlight this connection and support the Archewell Foundation's mental health initiatives for young people.
“I am delighted with the growth of Invictus and the inclusion of Nigeria,” the Duke of Sussex told PEOPLE at the time. “You know what Africa has meant to me over the years. It's a very, very special place and to be able to get Nigeria into the [invictus], I'm very happy. /people.com
