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Invictus Games for injured servicemen start in Florida

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Via: community • 8 years ago • 1 comments

Invictus Games for injured servicemen start in Florida

256 Prince Harry has said the Invictus Games for injured servicemen and women are a showcase for the "very best of the human spirit".

The prince, who backs the games, was writing in the official programme of the opening ceremony in the city of Orlando in Florida.

This is the second time the games been run, after London in 2014.

256 During the five-day tournament more than 500 athletes from 14 countries will compete in a range of sports.

They include athletics, cycling, tennis and basketball.

Thousands of people attended the opening ceremony, among them the US first lady Michelle Obama, the Hollywood star Morgan Freeman, the British singer James Blunt and the soprano Laura Wright.

The five-day tournament will see more than 500 athletes compete in a Paralympic-style event that will feature a range of indoor and outdoor sports.

256 Prince Harry is patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, which oversees the delivery of the event and its legacy.

He wrote in the programme: "The next four days will be a fantastic showcase of competition, camaraderie and the very best of the human spirit."

Prince Harry said ahead of the opening that he hoped the Games would "smash the stigma" surrounding military mental health issues in the same way the London event had helped people come to terms with physical wounds.

256 "I've spoken to everybody who has severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to minor depression, anxiety - whatever it might be," he said.

"Everybody says the same thing, if you can deal with it soon enough and have the ability and the platform to speak about it openly, then you can fix these problems.

256 "And if you can't fix it, you can at least find coping mechanisms - that's what it's all about, there's no reason people should be hiding in shame after they've served their country."