Canada’s first Valour Games, a homegrown project created after Toronto hosted the 2017 Invictus Games for wounded veterans and service members, are set to launch in Ottawa in November 2022. The games are to be held every two years in select Canadian cities. Some 500 competitors are expected. 

The weeklong competition is to feature 10 adaptive sports, including archery, powerlifting, wheelchair tennis, rugby and basketball.

“Canada’s Valour Games are much more than elite competition—they are a vital part of the rehabilitation journey for Canada’s ill and injured warriors,” reads the Valour Games’ website. “Many Canadians may not know the extent of the physical and emotional trauma service members undergo while serving our country, or the extraordinary burdens placed on their families.

The Ontario government has committed $3 million in Invictus Games revenue to the project.

“Canada’s Valour Games honours our service members and their families by showcasing their resilience and strength through competitive sports. The Games give Canadians an opportunity to celebrate, support and show their gratitude to military families across the country.”

Under the slogan Empathy to Empowerment, the Paralympics-style competition aims to spread awareness, support veterans and help them address their wounds, both mental and physical.

The Ontario government has committed $3 million in Invictus Games revenue to the project.

Lisa MacLeod, the province’s minister of heritage, sport, tourism and culture industries, said the games are designed to demonstrate the “transformative power of sport” for wounded veterans in the midst of recovery and rehabilitation.

The biennial Invictus Games were created by Prince Harry, himself an Afghanistan war veteran, to help wounded veterans and service members along their respective roads to recovery.

The inspiring Toronto event drew some 550 athletes from 17 countries. They participated in a dozen adaptive sports, watched by 75,000 spectators.