Victoria has lost its bid to host the 2022 Invictus Games to Duesseldorf, Germany.
“I am honoured that Germany will take the Invictus story further, with the sixth Invictus Games heading to Düsseldorf in 2022,” said Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, in a statement on the website of the Invictus Games Foundation. “I hope everyone in Germany is ready for what will be an incredible week of sport,” he said later. “I have no doubt that the German public will get right behind these Games and that every single competitor can expect a warm welcome and an amazing atmosphere.”
The Victoria Military Sports Society expressed disappointment in the decision, but also offered its congratulations.
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“While we are, of course, disappointed that Victoria will not be the next host city we are fully committed to a future bid and feel confident that the work we have put in will not be lost and that Victoria remains extremely well positioned to host a future iteration of the Invictus Games,” it said in a statement.
The society said it was apparent that the sports community and the community-at-large hugely supported not only hosting the games but truly wanted to give back to ill and injured service personnel.
“We also wish to express our deepest thanks for the tremendous support we have received from our federal, provincial and municipal government partners throughout the bid process,” it reads. “It was clear at every stage of this process that all orders of government were enthusiastically committed to bringing the Invictus Games to Victoria in order to benefit wounded, injured and sick service personnel and their families.”
The society said it will continue to support the mission and vision of the Invictus Games Foundation. “We look forward to the opportunity to host a future edition of the Invictus Games,” the statement reads.
Wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their veterans associations compete across multiple sports in the Invictus Games, created by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. The name of the competition stems from a poem titled Invictus (Latin for unconquered) by English poet by William Ernest Henley in which the author (himself an amputee) celebrates physical and mental perseverance in the face of daunting odds.
Duesseldorf is Germany’s seventh largest city. It lies in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and is readily accessible by virtue of being a major transportation hub. Located on the Rhine River, the city and its surrounding urban areas also boast a wide variety of facilities and cultural attractions, prompting Mercer, a global consulting company, to rank Duesseldorf as the sixth most livable city in the world, behind Vancouver (2nd place) but ahead of several major cities around the world.
Additional details about the exact date of the competition will be announced later.
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