Image supply, Getty Images
- Author, Chloe Hughes
- Role, BBC News, West Midlands
Birmingham has gained the bid to host the 2027 Invictus Games, beating off competitors from Washington DC.
The occasion, staged each two years, sees injured navy personnel and veterans from around the globe compete in a variety of sports activities.
Staged on the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), the Birmingham video games would be the first time the occasion has come to the UK for the reason that Duke of Sussex staged the inaugural match in London in 2014.
“Your city’s strong ties to the armed forces community made it a formidable contender from the very start,” Prince Harry mentioned.
“We have no doubt the people of Birmingham will join in celebrating the unwavering respect and admiration we have for our veteran and service community, showing the world how their courage ignites hope and unites us all – something your city knows well.”
A flag-raising ceremony with veterans minister Al Carns can be staged on the NEC on Tuesday morning to mark the announcement.
Image supply, Getty Images
The £26m government-backed bid drew on the armed forces’ connections with Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The hospital can also be residence to the Royal College of Defence Medicine, whereas the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre can also be primarily based within the Midlands, close to Loughborough.
‘Coming residence’
Stephen “Hoops” Hooper, Team UK captain for the 2025 video games mentioned the announcement would “mean the world to Team UK”.
“Birmingham is a particular place for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, as all of them come by means of right here sooner or later.
“With assist from the Royal British Legion for Team UK, Invictus has helped me embrace life once more. As we put together for Canada subsequent 12 months, it is nice to know the video games are coming residence in 2027.”
Prince Harry, who served in Afghanistan, mentioned every metropolis had introduced “a singular spirit and imaginative and prescient to life for rivals, their households and spectators”.
Financially struggling Birmingham City Council mentioned a “new supply mannequin”, developed with partners, required “no monetary enter” on its half.
The Invictus Games have been held throughout the globe within the decade since its inception, together with in Toronto, Orlando and Sydney.
The 2025 occasion in Vancouver and Whistler, is anticipated to entice 550 rivals from up to 25 nations.
Three new sports activities, pickleball, laser run, and esports, are anticipated to characteristic in 2027.
Helen Helliwell, chief government of Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, mentioned the occasion can be “essentially the most cohesive, sustainable occasion in Invictus Games historical past” with legacy programmes benefiting communities nationwide.