The word “invictus” means “undefeated” in Latin. And that perfectly describes the athletes at the Invictus Games. The contest features military workers from all over the world. They are sick or injured — but they aren’t beaten. To prove this, they are competing for gold medals in The Hague, Netherlands!
The 2022 Invictus Games began on April 16. It will run through April 22. More than 500 athletes from 20 nations are there. They include competitors from Poland, South Korea, and Romania. The Games have gold medals just like the Olympics. The event also has some of the same sports, such as archery and swimming. However, some of the sports are different. For example, the athletes play sitting volleyball and wheelchair rugby!
The Games kicked off with the Land Rover Driving Challenge. That’s a car race. Each two-person team drove a vehicle on an course. One teammate drove the car. The other helped . Team France won. That was the first gold medal of the Games!
Dan Phillips and Lisa Johnston made up Team United Kingdom. They did not win the car race, but the pair still enjoyed it. Phillips uses a wheelchair to get around. He has a spinal cord injury. However, he said, “I can still use my right leg enough to drive a car.” And in 2016, doctors had to one of Johnston’s legs due to an illness. Sports helped her get her life back. On Sunday, Johnston’s hard work paid off. She won the gold medal for throwing a heavy ball in the shot put contest!
On Wednesday, Team Poland’s Przemysław Kowalski got gold for men’s sprint indoor rowing. In that event, athletes use a rowing machine. It the motion of rowing a boat. Kowalski rowed as fast as he could! Team Poland also earned gold for sitting volleyball.
Team Ukraine has taken home medals too. Rodion Sitdikov earned gold in shot put. Artem Lukashuk won silver in the long jump. And Anna-Sofia Puzanova won a bronze medal for archery. Right now, Ukraine is at war with Russia. But Ukraine’s president gave the athletes permission to compete.
England’s Prince Harry created the Invictus Games. He spoke about Team Ukraine at the opening ceremony on Saturday. “Your bravery in choosing to come cannot be overstated,” Harry said. “We stand with you. The world is united with you.”
The leader also spoke to the rest of the athletes. “Your stories inspire people to believe in themselves,” he shared. “Your actions prove the impossible is in fact possible.”
Updated April 20, 2022, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Alexa Tirapelli and Ashley Morgan
