2017 Invictus Games

Invictus Games Toronto 2017
Host city Toronto
Country Canada
Opening ceremony September 23, 2017 (2017-09-23)
Closing ceremony September 30, 2017 (2017-09-30)
Website www.invictusgames2017.com
<  Invictus Games Orlando 2016

The 2017 Invictus Games is a parasport event for wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans, which will be held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The third installment of the Invictus Games, created in 2014 by Prince Harry, will include eleven sports. It is the second Games to be held in North America, following the Invictus Games Orlando 2016.

Development and preparation

Games CEO is Michael Burns.[1]

Torch relay

The relay will take place between 19 August and 26 September, visiting all 32 Canadian Forces bases and neighbouring communities, being carried by over 1000 torchbearers. The route is charted as being 7000 kilometres long.

Venues

The Games will use some of the facilities from the 2015 Pan Am Games, held in Toronto.[2]

Venue Sports
York Lions Stadium Athletics
Fort York National Historic Site Archery
Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre Sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball
Nathan Phillips Square Wheelchair tennis
Mattamy Athletic CentreIndoor rowing, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby
St. George's Golf and Country Club Golf
Toronto IslandsCycling

* Additional venues to be confirmed
[3]

Funding

The Royal Canadian Legion was asked by organizers to be a sponsor; the 30 members of the Legion council who met voted unanimously in support. Their $500,000 donation drew criticism from Canadian Veterans Advocacy, who suggested that drawing on the Poppy Campaign donations as opposed to other revenue sources was inappropriate. The Legion and columnists have defended the use of funds as supporting the mission, noting other veteran welfare projects like purchasing a specialized MRI for a mental health clinic.[4][5]

Marketing

A dog named Vimy was announced as the Games' mascot in April 2015.[1] It is named for the Battle of Vimy Ridge, considered by many as a defining moment in Canadian history.[6][7][8] A few days later, Prince Harry attended an exhibition sledge hockey game at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Toronto Mayor John Tory, as part of a series of launch events at the Royal York Hotel,[9] and with Elizabeth Dowdeswell in the office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Queen's Park.[10]

The Games

Participating nations

All 15 countries from the 2016 Games are invited back,[11] while Romania and Ukraine will make their debut.[12]

Sports

Broadcasters

Bell Media was announced as the exclusive broadcast partner of the Games, in a deal covering both the Orlando 2016 and Toronto 2017 events. Events will be shown on TSN.[13] The station is helping run the Toronto launch ceremony in May 2016.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 Sachgau, Oliver (29 April 2016). "Meet Vimy, the 2017 Invictus Games mascot". Toronto Star. Toronto ON. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  2. ↑ Kilkenny, Carmel (16 March 2016). "Invictus Games coming to Toronto in 2017". Radio Canada International. Montreal. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  3. ↑ "Venues". Invictus Games Toronto 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  4. ↑ Coyle, Jim (28 April 2016). "Royal Canadian Legion's donation to Invictus Games draws objections". Toronto Star. Toronto ON. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Invictus Games money well spent". Ottawa Sun. Ottawa. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Anthony Wilson-Smith. "Vimy Ridge and the Birth of a Nation". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  7. ↑ Postmedia News (9 April 2012). "Battle of Vimy Ridge marked Canada's birth as a nation: Governor General David Johnston - National Post". National Post.
  8. ↑ "WarMuseum.ca - The Battle of Vimy Ridge April 9-12, 1917 - The First World War".
  9. ↑ "Prince Harry, Justin Trudeau launch 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto". CBC News Toronto. Toronto ON. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  10. ↑ Jackson-Edwards, Phoebe (2 May 2016). "Has Harry met his hunky match? Prince rubs shoulders with popular Canadian PM Justin Trudeau (and they both showed their sensitive side, too)". The Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "Nations | Invictus Games Toronto 2017". www.invictusgames2017.com. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "Nations | Invictus Games Toronto 2017". www.invictusgames2017.com. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  13. 1 2 "Bell Media exclusive media partner of the Invictus Games Toronto 2017". TSN.
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