Team Canada announced for Invictus Games 2020

News release

February 5, 2020 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

32 Canadian Armed Forces serving members and veterans were selected today to represent Canada at the 2020 Invictus Games, to be held May 9th to 16th in The Hague, the Netherlands.

The announcement was made at Ottawa City Hall, where the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, Ms. Frederieke Quispel, Chargé d’affaires of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff, His Worship Jim Watson, Mayor of the City of Ottawa, and Councillor Matthew Luloff, City of Ottawa Liaison on Veterans and Military Issues were among those in attendance.

Prior to their formal announcement as members of Team Canada, invited athletes spent a week at a training camp held in September at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Valcartier. Currently, they are continuing their training in their hometowns with help from Invictus Games Team Canada coaches and the support of local bases, wings, and sports clubs. Team members will represent Canada against more than 500 competitors from 20 nations participating in 10 adaptive sports throughout the course of this year’s Invictus Games.

The participation of Team Canada in the Invictus Games The Hague 2020 is made possible through the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group’s Soldier On program, in partnership with the True Patriot Love Foundation. Thanks to the generosity of Canadians, Soldier On has disbursed more than $7 million directly to ill and injured members across the country in support of their recovery. More information for those who wish to support our serving members and veterans can be found at https://www.soldieron.ca, click on Give Support.

Additional multimedia

 Team Canada members participating in the Invictus Games 2020
Team Canada members participating in the Invictus Games 2020 were announced today at the Ottawa City Hall.

Quotes

“The Invictus Games serve as a powerful reminder of the extraordinary determination of those who served our country. Congratulations Team Canada. I know that everyone will be cheering you on as you train to get ready for your competition in The Hague.”

-The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence

“The members of Team Canada Invictus Games are truly an inspiration. These athletes and their families and friends will touch our hearts and inspire us all throughout the Invictus Games. I want to wish Team Canada good luck and invite all Canadians to follow their journey as they realize their incredible achievements.” 

- The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

“The Invictus Games are a testament to remarkable resilience and courage. I am proud of the members of Team Canada and want to extend my very best wishes to each of them. I know they will represent our country with the highest levels of skill, effort, and integrity. Good luck to all athletes participating at the Invictus Games The Hague 2020.”

- General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff

“We are thrilled, as are all of our teammates, to be representing Canada at this year’s Invictus Games! The Games are about so much more than competition on the field of play. Invictus is about camaraderie, resilience, determination to take on whatever challenges life throws at you, and inspiring others to do the same. On behalf of all of Team Canada, thank you for this honour…and see you in The Hague!

Nadia Duranleau and Rock Ferland, Co-Captains for Team Canada at the Invictus Games The Hague 2020

Quick facts

  • The 32 members of Team Canada, comprised of 14 serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces and 18 veterans, will be competing alongside more than 500 allies from 20 nations including Afghanistan, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom, the United States, and, for the first time, the Republic of Korea.

  • The Invictus Games The Hague 2020 will see Team Canada competing in all 10 adaptive sports: archery, athletics, cycling, indoor rowing, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, and the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge.

  • The Invictus Games, founded by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, are an international sporting competition for ill and injured serving armed forces members or veterans. The mission of the Games is to honour the men and women who have come face-to-face with the reality of sacrificing for their country, using the power of rehabilitative sports to help them on their journey of recovery.

  • The Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group is a recently created formation that delivers professional, personalized, and standardized casualty support and transition services to Canadian Armed Forces members and their families. This enables a seamless transition and enhanced wellbeing, with special attention provided to ill and injured personnel, their families, and the families of the deceased. One of the Transition Group’s most successful programs is Soldier On.

  • The Canadian Armed Forces’ Soldier On Program has supported nearly 6,000 members since its inception more than 12 years ago, and remains committed to supporting serving members and veterans with a permanent mental or physical injury to adapt to their new normal and overcome their challenges.

Associated links

Contacts

Lieutenant(Navy) Kelly Boyden
Team Canada Public Affairs Officer
Cell: 613-323-7356
Email: Kelly.Boyden@forces.gc.ca

Floriane Bonnevillle
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of National Defence
Phone: 613-996-3100

Alex Wellstead
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
Phone: 613-698-3042

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