Invictus Games: 2022 Date For Event In The Hague Announced

The dates for the next Invictus Games being held in The Hague have been announced. 

The event, originally scheduled for the summer of 2020, has been postponed twice due to COVID-19.

The fifth Invictus Games, which will still be referred to as Invictus Games The Hague 2020, is set to start on 16 April 2022.

It will take place over a week in the Dutch city and conclude on 22 April 2022.

More than 500 participants from 20 countries are expected to take part in 10 adaptive sports events.

Mart de Kruif, chairman of Invictus Games The Hague 2020, said: "We still strive to deliver a safe, surprising and impactful games.

"It looks like this should be possible in 2022, and we look forward to hosting them. It was, of course, a big disappointment that the Invictus Games could not take place, but also understandable in the current situation.

"All the hard work and efforts of the organisation and our partners are very valuable and form a good basis for an even more beautiful event in 2022.

"As an organisation, we also want to show our own resilience and the Invictus Spirit. Now that we have a date to focus on, we and the competitors can set new goals and our Invictus family will show its strength to the world in 2022," he added.

Conny Wenting, CEO Invictus Games The Hague 2020, told Forces News: "In [the] spirit of the Invictus family and the Invictus spirit, we have to show that we are unconquerable and very resilient as well."

Ms Wenting added that there have been "very difficult times", particularly from a financial perspective, over the past year as the games had to be postponed twice.

However, she added: "We are very lucky and very happy that all our partners are very supportive to the Invictus Games.

"Especially in these difficult times, with this pandemic, I think it’s great that we can really rely on their support."

The news comes a day after the announcement that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will produce a docuseries about the Invictus Games for Netflix.

The multi-episode programme will be Harry and Meghan's first production for the streaming giant since the couple signed a major deal last year, thought to be worth millions of pounds. 

Heart Of Invictus, made by their Archewell Productions company, will follow competitors as they prepare for the 2022 games.

It will be directed by Orlando von Einsiedel and produced by Joanna Natasegara, who previously worked together on the Oscar-winning short film The White Helmets.

Harry, who founded the games in 2014, will appear in the show and will serve as executive producer.

Netflix said the series will join the competitors as they train, and along the way reveal powerful stories of resilience and hope.

The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event, aimed at wounded, injured or sick Armed Forces personnel and veterans, and takes its name from the Latin word 'Invictus', meaning 'unconquered' or 'undefeated'.

Cover image: The Toronto Invictus Games in 2017 (Picture: US Department of Defense).