Invictus Games come to ESPN Wide World of Sports in 2016

The second Invictus Games, the only international adaptive sporting event for injured active duty and veteran service members, will begin in less than 100 Days – May 8-12, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort, and tickets are now open for reservations. Fans can guarantee their seats before tickets go on sale by visiting http://invictusgames2016.org/tickets/ and filling out a brief form.

The Invictus Games Orlando 2016, presented by Jaguar Land Rover, will bring together more than 500 competitors from 15 nations to compete in 10 sports – archery, cycling, indoor rowing, power lifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis. Following a visit to the U.S. Department of Defense Warrior Games, Prince Harry was inspired to create an expanded international version and founded the first Invictus Games hosted in London in 2014.

Retired U.S. Army Captain Will Reynolds won four medals at the 2014 Invictus Games and is training for the 2016 Games.

“It is exciting there are just 100 days until the Invictus Games and we are training hard to do our best and represent the United States well. I am very much looking forward to the camaraderie of not just of my American teammates, but the competitors from the teams around the world. We all share the Invictus spirit and it will be on display in 100 days,” said Captain Reynolds.

Captain Reynolds lost his leg after an improvised explosive devise detonated in Iraq. He underwent 26 surgeries as doctors tried to save his left leg but they ended up amputating his left leg at the knee. After attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from 1998 until 2002, Reynolds served until 2008 in Fort Benning, Georgia; South Korea; Iraq; and the Washington, D.C. area. Following his two years of rehabilitation, he earned a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Rochester, New York, and now works as a consultant.

Captain Reynolds won four bronze medals at the 2014 Invictus Games in men’s classified 100-meter and 200-meter athletics sprints, the Road Race and the Time Trial in cycling.

Fans can be part of the action and cheer on Captain Reynolds and the other competitors as they compete for medals and represent their countries by reserving their tickets today.

“Having seen the fantastic support from the public at the 2014 Invictus Games in London, we look forward to hosting the Games in the United States and joining in the celebrations for the second consecutive year,” said Joe Eberhardt, President and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover North America.

The Fisher House Foundation was a sponsor of the 2014 Invictus Games. Ken Fisher, Chairman and CEO of the Fisher House Foundation, will serve as Chairman and CEO for Invictus Games Orlando 2016.

“These Games are about the competitors and their families and the Organizing Committee is doing all we can to create an event worthy of these amazing and inspiring people,” said Fisher.

The 2014 Invictus Games opened with the help of a message from First Lady Michelle Obama, and Dr. Jill Biden presented medals to the American team during the medals ceremonies. More than 400 competitors from 13 nations competed for gold in nine sports and a driving challenge. Some 65,000 spectators attended the sporting events, opening ceremony and closing concert and more than 10 million watched the Games on the BBC.

The word Invictus means “unconquered.” It embodies the fighting spirit of the wounded service personnel who are on the journey to recovery. Generations have drawn on the words of William Ernest Henley’s 1878 poem “Invictus” for strength during times of adversity. “I am the master of my fate,” wrote Henley, himself an amputee.

The Invictus Games uses the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of all those who serve their country as well as their families and caregivers.