4th April 2014

Prince Harry today accompanied Mayor of London Boris Johnson to the official opening of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. As part of his visit, he met with wounded, injured and sick Servicemen who are hoping to compete in the swimming events at the Invictus Games, presented by Jaguar Land Rover, this September.

During his official visit, Prince Harry met with veterans Mike Goody from the RAF and Lewis Edwards who was in the army. They shared their aspiration to compete at the Invictus Games and explained how sport had been a key driver in their recovery.

The Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick Service personnel, will take place in London from 10-14 September 2014. The Games will use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of those who serve their country.

The event is championed by Prince Harry and is being organised in partnership with The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry and the Ministry of Defence.

It will see more than 300 wounded, injured and sick Servicemen and women, serving and veteran, competing in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, thanks to the Mayor of London, the London Legacy Development Corporation and the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. Jaguar Land Rover is the Presenting Partner of the Invictus Games.

Mike Goody, who hopes to compete at the Invictus Games this September and was injured in Afghanistan said: “I've always been a keen social and competitive swimmer. I always felt more at home in water than on the land and this became even more apparent post injury, when I lost the ability to get around unaided. Doing the UK Cross Channel swim with other injured soldiers gave me back the drive and motivation I had lost to better myself. Since then it’s driven me to push myself further and do things I never would have even thought I’d be able to accomplish before I was even injured on Military deployment.”

Competition at the Invictus Games will include athletics, archery, wheelchair basketball, road cycling, indoor rowing, wheelchair rugby, swimming and sitting volleyball. There will also be a driving challenge organised by Jaguar Land Rover.

The word ‘Invictus’ means ‘unconquered’. It embodies the fighting spirit of the wounded, injured and sick Service personnel and what these tenacious men and women can achieve, post injury. The Invictus Games will celebrate this through sporting achievement that recognises the sacrifice they, and others, have made.

From tomorrow, Saturday 5th April, members of the public will be able to enjoy the new parklands in the south of the Park.