First Lady Michelle Obama, among other world famous figures, helped Britain’s Prince Harry kick off the Invictus Games for the second year in a row.
The Games, offered for wounded servicemen and women, are being held in Orlando, Fla., at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex from May 8 to 12.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am to have the second Invictus Games open in America,” Prince Harry said, according to The Guardian. “I’m a long way from London tonight, but when I look out, I see so many familiar faces, servicemen and women, their friends and their families and all of the people who got them here. I feel like I’m at home.”
The prince created The Invictus Games to “harness the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation, and generate a wider understanding and respect for those who serve their country,” according to the Games’ website.
In 2014, Prince Harry said of the Games:
“These Games have shone a spotlight on the ‘unconquerable’ character of service men and women and their families and their ‘Invictus’ spirit. These Games have been about seeing guys sprinting for the finish line and then turning round to clap the last man in. They have been about teammates choosing to cross the line together, not wanting to come second, but not wanting the other guys to either. These Games have shown the very best of the human spirit.”
At the start of the ceremony, athletes, dressed in the garb of their represented country, filed into ESPN World’s Champion Stadium as thousands of fans cheered and celebrated their service. After completing their walk-in, multiple musicians performed, followed by speeches from competing veterans who discussed their injuries and what it took to overcome them.
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