Ahead of the Opening Ceremony on Saturday, September 23, all 17 nations competing in the 2017 Invictus Games have arrived in Toronto! Walking around the lobby of the Invictus Village at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, with a DJ and VIMY pumping up the crowds, it’s easy to see that the competitors, supporters and volunteers are ready for the Games.
“Everyone has been coming up to us and have been really welcoming. It gives a great perception of the whole town. Canada’s a friendly, welcoming country!” said Sherriden Brown, who is in Toronto supporting Chris Clark from Team Australia. Chris will be competing in archery and wheelchair basketball.
Major Grigore Nicolae, who will be competing in powerlifting and swimming for Team Romania, has a message from his team: “I would like to thank the Invictus Games movement. For us it’s an honour and a pleasure to be part of the Games. We feel appreciated and we feel part of this movement. To fight again, not on the battlefield but on the sports field, in Toronto — such a wonderful city — to compete is a great feeling.”
Welcoming Grigore and the competitors to Toronto are more than 1,500 volunteers, who are excited to make this an incredible Invictus Games. “The energy is electric with everyone arriving. It’s going to be an amazing week,” said volunteer Lori Berges. “The volunteers are so excited to be here, and everyone is here for a common goal as well as their own unique reasons.”
The Invictus Games officially begin with the Opening Ceremony at the Air Canada Centre, which begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night. During the Games, more than 550 competitors will compete in 12 sports, and the Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Organizing Committee welcomes everyone!