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Prince Harry's biggest working project, the Invictus Games, returns next month, as hundreds of veterans and servicemen and women come together to demonstrate the mental and physical achievements of wounded, sick or injured armed forces personnel.
Harry founded the games in 2014, having witnessed the Warrior Games during a visit to the U.S.
From it, the prince took the concept of a sporting tournament that was a showcase for the recovery and development of injured, sick or wounded veterans and used his platform to build on it, giving it a global outlook and outreach.
The first Invictus Games were held in London in the fall of 2014 and was attended by founder, Harry, as well as his brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate, and his father, Prince Charles (now King Charles III).
Over the following nine years, four subsequent events have been staged in cities across the world, with another just around the corner.
Here, Newsweek looks ahead to the 2023 Invictus Games:
Where Are The 2023 Invictus Games Being Held?
The 2023 Invictus Games will take place in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The city was selected by the Invictus Games Foundation, the charitable body that oversees the legacy and funding arm of the event, as well as forming the committee that selects the host nations.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Düsseldorf in September 2022, where they marked the one-year countdown to the games, speaking with the community about the plans for the event.
A number of the key events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, will be held at the Merkur Spiel-Arena on the banks of the Rhine. The arena can accommodate 54,600 spectators.
When Are The Invictus Games 2023 Being Held?
The 2023 Invictus Games will take place between September 9 and 16.
Originally the Düsseldorf games were scheduled to take place in 2022, however, owing to the COVID pandemic, the 2020 games in the Netherlands were postponed to 2022, moving the Düsseldorf dates back.
Originally it was intended for the games to take place every other year, and this schedule has been reinstated moving forward. The 2025 games will take place in February in western Canada.
The Canadian games will be the first to introduce winter sports to the roster of events.
What Events Are Included in The 2023 Invictus Games?
Over 500 athletes will compete in ten disciplines during the 2023 Invictus Games. These include: athletics, cycling, archery, indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, powerlifting, swimming, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, and table tennis.
Which Countries Will Compete in the 2023 Invictus Games?
Some 21 countries will be competing in the 2023 Invictus Games. These include, for the first time in the event's history, the nations of Nigeria, Israel and Colombia.
Other countries who are sending national teams to the games are: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, South Korea and Ukraine.
Who is Going to The 2023 Invictus Games?
Team U.S.A will be represented by 59 serving and retired military personnel, headed by Sgt. 1st Class Lauren Montoya, U.S. Special Operations Command, and retired Capt. Patrick Nugent, U.S. Marine Corps, as co-captains.
Prince Harry will be the most high-profile guest at the games, with the royal expected to make speeches at the opening and closing ceremonies, which he has done in previous years.
Meghan Markle's attendance at the games has not yet been confirmed, though the duchess has attended at least part of the games every year since meeting Harry in 2016.
Together with the royals, top members of the German government are expected to be in attendance as well as delegates from the respective competing nations.
In 2022, President Biden appointed Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, to head the U.S. presidential delegation to the games. The 2023 delegation has not yet been announced.
Pop star Ria Ora has been confirmed to be attending the games. The singer will perform during the closing ceremony on September 16.
What is The Release Date for Prince Harry's Invictus Games Netflix Show ?
Prince Harry's docuseries for Netflix following participants in the 2022 Invictus Games will debut on the streaming site on August 30.
The show will be available globally across Netflix's regional sites and contain five one-hour episodes.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more