Prince Harry meets wounded veterans and Invictus hopefuls on fourth surprise Ukraine visit
Britain’s Prince Harry made a fourth surprise trip to Ukraine since the conflict with Russia began in 2022, meeting wounded veterans and medics in the western city of Lviv on Saturday. He attended Ukraine’s National Invictus Games and a conference organised by Superhumans, a clinic that specialises in rehabilitating the war-wounded. The 42-year-old royal said that every time he returns he feels welcome and warmth, and that he had “taken a risk to come here.”
Ukraine has about 1.4 million combat veterans, more than 10 percent of whom have disabilities. Harry, founder and patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, which he established in 2014 to support wounded, injured and recovering military personnel and veterans through adaptive sports, e-sports and recovery programmes, told veterans they would win the war and then be set up for success. Later he said that when the war is over and Ukraine wins, the foundation would be ready to support the country in holding an Invictus Games.
He watched wheelchair rugby players competing for places on Ukraine’s team for next year’s Invictus Games in Birmingham, England. Around 500 people have registered to qualify for a planned 60-member squad, the largest team Ukraine has ever sent. At a rugby game he hugged Valery Odainyk, a 41-year-old leg amputee who competed at last year’s Games in Canada and remains an active Ukrainian serviceman; Harry asked when he found time to train. Odainyk said his involvement in disability sport started and continues with the Invictus Games, which mix adaptive core and winter sports including alpine skiing, archery, track and field, cycling, wheelchair basketball, rugby and tennis.
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