
Prince Harry welcomes next Invictus Games in UK during closing ceremony
Throughout the week, the royal attended several events, including an indoor rowing competition where he was joined by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
A founding patron, Harry spoke at the closing ceremony of the games in Whistler on Sunday.
He paid tribute to Canada's First Nations' people, Invictus athletes and their families and welcomed the next games, taking place in Birmingham in the UK.
It comes amid legal troubles as the prince battles the Home Office over the level of personal protection he will receive in the UK.
"It is a platform for positive change.
"And so long as the challenges around us demand it and require it... the games will go on.
"Bring on Invictus Games Birmingham 2027. You have permission to party."
The Paralympics-style sporting event is a tournament for injured and sick military personnel and veterans.
The Duke of Sussex founded the tournament, following a decade of service in the UK military, after being inspired by the Warrior Games in Colorado in 2013.
He went on to stage the inaugural games at London's Olympic Park in 2014.
Mr Trudeau also spoke at the closing ceremony, thanking the prince personally, saying: "To the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, without whom these Invictus Games would never have happened, you are the one who turned this incredible idea into a reality.
"As someone you roped in early in my time as prime minister, I can testify to the energy, the dedication, the commitment this man has to you and to this ideal."
More than 12,000 people filled the Rogers Arena in Vancouver for the ceremony.
It came after the competition hosted its first winter games this year, which saw more than 60 UK veterans compete.
In total, more than 500 people from 20 nations came together for the adaptive sports event.
Events like alpine skiing and snowboarding, Nordic skiing, biathlon, skeleton and wheelchair curling were introduced along with the core events of the Invictus Games.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Belfast Giants continue to shore up defence with arrival of well-travelled Canadian defenceman
The 27-year-old Ontario native makes the move to the SSE Arena from Austrian side Innsbruck for the 2025/26 season and becomes the seventh defenceman to sign on the dotted line which, while not guaranteed, seems likely to be the team's final acquisition on the back end. It is not completely unheard of for the Giants to carry eight defencemen in a campaign, however it is extremely rare for it to happen before the season begins and with Ciaran Long capable of covering on defence in case of emergency, it appears unlikely that they will add another full-time blue-liner. But in McFadden they get a well-travelled and well-rounded defenceman, who joins after a season in which he scored two goals and 13 points for a struggling Innsbruck side but boasts experience in the OHL, AHL and Czech Extraliga, as well as in the ICEHL last season. McFadden will not be short on reviews of Belfast given that career either, which has seen him play alongside former Giants such as Kyle Baun, Jordan Boucher, Grant Cooper and Blake Speers, while last season he played under Jordan Smotherman at Innsbruck. A strong-skating defenceman, the Canadian came up through the junior ranks with the Guelph Storm, with whom he won the OHL title in 2014 in a team that also included the likes of Tyler Bertuzzi, Jason Dickinson and Pius Suter, and he would go on to captain the side in his final two years with the club in 2017 and 2018. His performances in that OHL-winning season also earned him his first international call-up to the Canada Ontario Under-17 side where he was a team-mate of superstars such as Mitch Marner, Travis Konecny and Jakob Chychrun, among others, as well as former Giants centre Speers. After a brief four-game spell with the Laval Rocket in the AHL, McFadden opted to join Acadia University instead of turning professional and excelled with the Axemen, being named to the USports All-Rookie team in his first year in which they won Universiade Bronze, before earning Second All-Star team honours in his second season. It was his stunning displays with Acadia that earned him his second international call-up to the Canadian Universiade team in 2019, and his performances at college level meant he would leap straight back into the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the end of the 2021/22 season. McFadden would have a 'C' back on his jersey to start the following season with the ECHL's Reading Royals before embarking on his European career, making the switch to Slovakian side Poprad two years ago and ending the season with Energie Karlovy Vary in Czechia, taking the team into the Play-Offs, before spending last season in Innsbruck. But, despite all of his hockey achievements, it is McFadden's off-ice achievements that are even more impressive, the Owen Sound man a strong advocate for mental health after losing a close family friend to suicide in 2011. The defenceman started up 'McFadden's Movement', a non-profit organisation which encourages people of all ages to talk about their mental health and accept help, in September 2016 and, to the end of 2024, has donated just over $158,200 (just over £86,000) to mental health charities across North America. Every year McFadden's Movement hosts an MM27 Celebrity Charity Classic golf tournament, which this year raised $36,485 (just under £20,000) that will be invested in mental health charities across Canada.


Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Celtic hero says he's a ‘proud dad' after watching his two sons play AGAINST each other in unique first
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FOR a father, few things beat watching your son grow up to follow in your footsteps - perhaps even more so when it involves playing football. So imagine the pride felt by one former Celtic icon who was able to watch two of his sons play AGAINST each other. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 3 Two players who know a thing or two about one another... That's exactly what happened when Thetford Town met Harleston Town in the ninth tier of English football last night. Playing in the Eastern Counties Football League Premier Division match were Ollie Sutton and Harry Sutton. They are sons of Hoops hero Chris Sutton, who was in the stands watching the game. What made the clash even more unique was that both players are GOALKEEPERS. Ollie signed for Harleston in May from Wroxham, where he had been captain. Harry is also a recent addition to the Thetford squad, joining just last week - and making his debut in a 3-0 win against Woodbridge. Ex-Celticstriker Sutton, 52, shared a photo of his two boys walking off the field after full-time, with the game finishing 1-0 to Thetford. Sutton said: "Proud dad seeing my two lads Ollie and Harry playing against each other. "Both played very well but Harry's Thetford Town edged Harleston 1-0. "Well played both teams." Major Mikey Moore Rangers loan doubts & 'strange situation' at Celtic + transfer news Go Ballistic Punters on Twitter were quick to comment on the game and the performances of both the Sutton boys. One fan said: "Great game of football by both sides, Harry is a great signing for Thetford and a very confident young man. "I'm looking forward to watching him play all season, proud dad moment for you tonight." Another said: "Both keepers were excellent tonight. Hope you enjoyed your visit!" And a third said: "Congrats Chris." Before a Celtic fan joked: "Both goalies! What sort of kids are you raising? "Jokes, you must be very proud." 3 Chris Sutton was a proud dad last night Credit: PA 3 Sutton during his time at Celtic Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page


The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
'I didn't feel safe': Bev Priestman returns from spying ban to coach Wellington Phoenix
Former Canada women's football coach Bev Priestman has said she 'didn't feel safe' living in North America following her one-year ban for spying at the Paris Olympics. Wellington Phoenix announced Wednesday that Priestman would take over as head coach of their women's team, returning to football in the country she was banned for spying on with a drone, New Zealand. She has signed a two-year contract. The 39-year-old was visibly emotional as she discussed her suspension, and how nervous she is to be returning to the sport. 'I didn't feel safe,' Priestman said of living in Canada after the Olympics. 'That's being brutally honest. It was very difficult for my family, and I have to live with that. 'Obviously it was an absolute media frenzy. You've got people knocking at your door and everything, and I've got a little boy. Without going into too much detail, it was very difficult. We knew we had to get out of that country.' Fifa banned Priestman for one year after her coaching team used a drone to snoop on New Zealand before they played at the Paris Games. New Zealand had spotted drones flying over their training sessions before their opening match and reported it to officials. An investigation found the Canadian team had been spying on rival training sessions for some time. Priestman said she is prevented from speaking about the situation in detail, due to ongoing legal discussions. But on her return to New Zealand she said she had talked to players and officials. She said the move to Wellington was an opportunity to 'reset' her career, and rebuild. On Tuesday night, hours after her ban was lifted, she ran her first coaching session in more than a year. 'I celebrated last night coaching the under-7s, my son's team, in the pouring Wellington rain,' Priestman said. 'That was a nice, humbling experience. They got all the energy from me in that moment because I've just been itching to do that.' Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Priestman won the Olympic gold with Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and is the best credentialed coach to come to the women's A League. She said she had learned from her ban, and her experience with Canada, and would be a better coach for it. 'There's certain values that I hold and unfortunately, you know, things around me have clouded my judgement,' Priestman said. 'So for me personally, I just want to get back to... I love working with people. I love getting the best out of people. I love being on a football pitch. 'I just want to create a special moment for this city, for this country and move forward.' Wellington Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison said he was 'really pleased to be able to welcome Bev back to football'. 'We all know she's had a period of time away from the game, but we understand the circumstances and we're really comfortable with this appointment. Bev can't wait to get started, and we're really happy that she's going to be coaching the Phoenix.'