The Duke of Sussex has congratulated the city of Birmingham on being selected to host the 2027 Invictus Games.
The tournament, founded by Prince Harry for disabled and disabled military and veterans, will be held in the UK for the first time since the first tournament was held in London in 2014.
This will be a trip to the UK for Harry, who has attended every Games to date and is also a patron of the Invictus Games Foundation.
It could also mean a brief return to the UK for the Duchess of Sussex, who has attended recent games with her husband and was first photographed with Harry at the Invictus in Toronto in 2017.
Hosting the Olympics in Britain also raises questions about whether Harry’s father, the King, his brother, Prince Charles, and other members of the royal family will be in attendance to support the Games. Relations between the pair are reportedly still strained following the release of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary and Harry’s memoir, “Spare.”
The proposal, backed by £26 million from the UK government, won a competition from Washington DC in the US to be shortlisted. The event is due to take place at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in July three years’ time.
In a statement, the duke said Birmingham’s strong ties to the military made it a “formidable candidate”.
“Congratulations to Birmingham, UK on being selected to host the Invictus Games in 2027. Your city has strong connections to the military community and was a leading candidate from the start.
“Over the years, we’ve seen each city embody its own unique spirit and vision for its competitors, their families and spectators. I have no doubt that the people of Birmingham will celebrate their unwavering respect and admiration for our veterans and military community and show the world how their bravery ignites hope and unites us all – something your city knows all too well.”
“This will mean so much to Team UK, not only will their friends and family be able to watch them compete, but the whole of Britain will be able to cheer them on,” said Stephen Hoopes Hooper, Team UK Captain at the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025.
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The UK Government-backed bid focused on the NEC, leveraging its links with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Selly Oak, which treats wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans, the Royal Defence Medical Centre, which trains UK clinicians, and the world-renowned Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Stamford Hall.
Helen Helliwell, chief executive of Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, said the event will be “the most cohesive and sustainable Invictus Games in history”, with a legacy programme benefiting communities across the country.
Harry, who served on the front lines in Afghanistan, came up with the idea for creating the global tournament after attending the Warrior Games in Colorado in 2013 and seeing injured U.S. soldiers rise to the challenge of participating in competitive sports that would help their recovery.
