Harry with Michelle Turner at the Invictus Games flag-raising ceremony in Birmingham.
The Invictus Games, founded by Prince Harry, will make a significant return to the U.K. in 2027, with Birmingham set to host the event.
The Games have grown to be much more than just a sporting competition for its participants, offering a transformative experience that deeply impacts the lives of wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women.
At a recent flag-raising ceremony at the NEC in Birmingham, former RAF sergeant Michelle Turner shared her heartfelt gratitude towards Prince Harry and the Invictus Games.
Turner, 45, suffers from a heart condition that can cause sudden collapses. She competed in the Games in Toronto in 2017 and Sydney in 2018.
Reflecting on her journey, she recalled reading a poem with her husband and daughter at the 10-year anniversary of the Games at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London earlier this year.
Turner described the overwhelming honor of receiving a standing ovation from 2000 people at the Cathedral. “Harry came over afterwards and said he ‘thought that was a first — to get a standing ovation of 2000 people in St. Paul’s Cathedral.’
What an honor and responsibility it was to put our journey into words. The people in the audience knew what every word of our poem meant.”
With visible emotion, Turner expressed her profound gratitude towards Prince Harry. “How do you ever thank somebody for changing your life, changing your family’s life? There are no words.
All I see here is smiles. It is giving people a focus again. He is so relatable and so lovely to everybody, and he loves this Invictus Games.”
She emphasized the excitement surrounding the upcoming Games in Birmingham, anticipating that the event will inspire and captivate the city.
“You struggle to explain the magic, but people will be able to come along and see it for themselves and feel that magic and inspiration. We will fill the stands,” Turner said.
The Games’ return to Birmingham marks a symbolic homecoming, as the inaugural event took place in London in 2014.
The city holds particular significance due to its proximity to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, a key facility for wounded servicemen and women, and Fisher House, which provides a home for their relatives during recuperation.
Dominic Reid, the outgoing CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation, highlighted Birmingham’s unique suitability for hosting the Games. “Birmingham was the route home for so many of the British servicemen and women.
Here you also have a single site where families can easily be housed in hotels and the competition can take place in the arenas. It is in these spaces that the magic happens.”
Reid also reflected on the evolution of the Invictus Games from a one-off event to a recurring, globally significant competition. “This started as a one-off idea.
That was what it was about. We thought we would pack it all up [after London] and not do it again because it wasn’t needed, because the problem had been fixed. That clearly is not the case.”
He recounted a pivotal moment in Toronto in 2017 when he, Prince Harry, and a few others decided to continue the Games. “[Harry] has a real drive and ambition to do right by the wounded, injured, and sick community not just in the U.K. but globally and that’s being expressed in the best possible way it can.
There is an enormous requirement. Just look at the state the world’s in and the number of injuries happening on a daily basis. There are people who require this. This community is magical and can only be a force for good in the world.”
Josh Boggi, a former British soldier who lost both legs and later his right arm after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan in 2010, echoed the sentiment of the Games’ profound impact.
He shared how Birmingham was the starting point of his recovery journey, having spent six weeks at the local hospital. “Many, like me, started our recovery journeys here in Birmingham and the Games coming here is poignant. They saved my life and started me on my recovery journey.”
Birmingham’s selection over Washington, D.C., for the 2027 Games highlights the city’s importance to the Invictus community. Stephen “Hoops” Hooper, from Plymouth, England, emphasized the ongoing need for the Games.
Hooper, who developed PTSD and moral injury syndrome after serving as a battlefield ambulance driver in Iraq, is now the Team U.K. captain for the upcoming Games in Vancouver Whistler.
Hooper stressed the importance of the Invictus Games for individuals struggling with their injuries. “There are so many people who have been scared to speak up about their injuries and feel they’re not worthy and have that imposter syndrome.
But this highlights that you can go forward and get better. There are so many people who are inspired by every competitor. There are people who applied this year who saw me last year.
Everyone has someone in the line after them and they then get the recovery they need. This is something that isn’t going to die off anytime soon.”
Reflecting on his own journey, Hooper shared, “When I first went to the camp before [the Dusseldorf, Germany Games in 2023], I couldn’t look at anybody and stood in a corner on my own.
Now, not even two years later, I’m captain of Team U.K., coaching football and now doing this.” He plans to participate in four different categories in Vancouver Whistler after competing in two sports in Germany.
Hooper expressed his deep appreciation for Prince Harry’s role in his transformation. “If Prince Harry hadn’t started this, my life wouldn’t have changed in such a positive way.
I can remember as we were doing the closing ceremony, and as I left the stage, I looked over at him and mouthed ‘Thank you’ to him. He looked so proud — you could see his head and shoulders up and his chest out.”
The return of the Invictus Games to Birmingham in 2027 promises to continue its legacy of inspiring resilience, providing a platform for recovery, and celebrating the strength of wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women from around the world.
News Source: PEOPLE
