The inaugural Invictus Games in London 2014 used the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for wounded, injured and sick Servicemen and women…
The Invictus Games Orlando 2016 for our Wounded Warriors will feature 10 competitive events including archery, indoor rowing, powerlifting, road cycling, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
[They] will take place in Orlando, 8th-12th May 2016 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
(Invictusgamesfoundation.org)
More than any other mortals, wounded warriors have the unconquerable souls William Ernest Henley salutes in his celebrated poem, “Invictus.”
But I pray to whatever gods may be for our damnable souls. Because ratings show that we’d rather watch the contrived antics of reality-TV stars than the heroic feats of Invictus athletes.
In fact, interviews with Prince Harry are probably all you’ve seen of the games this week. And, catering to prevailing preferences for celebrity over valor, interviewers duly asked more questions about his royal family than the Invictus athletes.
As it happens, I’ve written many commentaries denouncing royalty and all its appurtenances. But I have no qualms about commending Harry for founding these games and using his celebrity to promote them.
Yet, what price glory? After all, to qualify, warriors had to sustain disabling wounds fighting for the ill-fated cause of turning Iraq and Afghanistan into Jeffersonian democracies.
To elaborate would be tantamount to rubbing salt into their wounds. But it’s noteworthy that former President George W. Bush, the honorary chair of these Invictus Games, seems unable to talk about wounded warriors without tearing up. One can only assume those are tears of irredeemable guilt.
That said, the U.S. Olympic Committee, U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs coordinate year-round clinics and camps across the country. There, wounded warriors engage in parasport for psychological rehabilitation to face life challenges, as well as athletic training to participate in competitions like the Invictus Games and Paralympics.
I’m ashamed to admit that the only time I became interested in anything related to the Paralympics was when the poster boy for these games, Oscar Pistorius, suffered a surprising upset in the men’s 200m. And this was only because Pistorius received so much media attention during the Olympics for being the first double amputee to participate.
(“In Defense of NBC’s Olympics and Paralympics Coverage,” The iPINIONS Journal, September 14, 2012)
Therefore, here’s to you giving up a little of your trash TV to watch what remains of these games and the forthcoming games in Rio. It might take some channel surfing to find them. But, trust me, it’ll be good for your soul.
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