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Korea submits bid to host Invictus Games in 2029

Published: 13 Feb. 2025, 09:06

Vice Veterans Affairs Minister Lee Hee-wan, left, and Britain's Prince Harry, second from right, meet during the Invictus Games 2025 in Canada, on Wednesday, Feb. 12. [YONHAP]

Korea has submitted an official bid to host the Invictus Games, an international sports event for injured service members, in the country's central city of Daejeon in 2029, the Veterans Ministry said Wednesday.

Vice Veterans Affairs Minister Lee Hee-wan submitted on Sunday Korea's formal bid to host the sporting event as he led a government delegation to the Invictus Games 2025, underway in Vancouver, according to the ministry.

Founded by Britain's Prince Harry in 2014, the Invictus Games is a multinational sports competition for wounded, injured and sick service members. They have taken place as a biennial event since 2023 after being held irregularly.

"If the games are held in Korea in 2029, it would mark the first such case in Asia," Lee said, hoping the games will contribute to raising awareness and support for injured service members not only in North America and Europe but in Asia as well.

In a meeting with Lee, who himself is an injured Navy veteran, Prince Harry was quoted as welcoming Korea's bid to host the sports event, saying he looks forward to a good competition.

The ministry anticipated that hosting the games in Daejeon will contribute to bolstering the regional economy as well as strengthen medical rehabilitation and support systems for injured veterans.

More than 550 athletes from 23 countries, including 11 Korean nationals, participated in the Invictus Games in Canada this year.

Yonhap