2017 Invictus Games

Invictus Games Toronto 2017
Host city Toronto, Canada
Nations participating 17
Debuting countries 2
Opening ceremony September 23, 2017 (2017-09-23)
Closing ceremony September 30, 2017 (2017-09-30)
Officially opened by Prince Harry of Wales
Torch lighter Natacha Dupuis, Simon Mailloux, David Johnston
Main venue Air Canada Centre
Website www.invictusgames2017.com
<  2016 Orlando 2018 Sydney  >

The 2017 Invictus Games was a parasport event for wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans, which was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The third Invictus Games, an event created in 2014 by Prince Harry, included eleven sports. It was the second Games to be held in North America, following the Invictus Games Orlando 2016.

Development and preparation

The CEO of the 2017 Invictus Games was Michael Burns.[1]

Torch relay

Lighting of the torch to open the 2017 Invictus Games

The relay took place between 19 August and 26 September, visiting all 32 Canadian Forces bases and neighbouring communities, being carried by over 1000 torchbearers. The route was charted as being 7000 kilometres long.

Venues

The Games used some of the facilities from Pan American and Parapan American Games in 2015, held in Toronto.[2][3]

Venue Events/Sports
Air Canada CentreOpening and closing ceremonies
York Lions StadiumAthletics
Fort York National Historic SiteArchery
Toronto Pan Am Sports CentreSwimming, Sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball
Nathan Phillips SquareWheelchair tennis
Mattamy Athletic CentreIndoor rowing, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby
St. George's Golf and Country ClubGolf
High ParkCycling
Distillery DistrictDriving challenge

There was no athlete's village for these games, but the downtown Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel became an unofficial village for participants living there.[4]

Funding

The Royal Canadian Legion was asked by organizers to be a sponsor; the 30 members of the Legion council who met voted unanimously in support. Their $500,000 donation drew criticism from Canadian Veterans Advocacy, who suggested that drawing on the Poppy Campaign donations as opposed to other revenue sources was inappropriate. The Legion and columnists defended the use of funds as supporting the mission, noting other veteran welfare projects like purchasing a specialized MRI for a mental health clinic.[5][6]

Marketing

A dog named Vimy was announced as the Games' mascot in April 2015.[1] It was named for the Battle of Vimy Ridge, considered by many as a defining moment in Canadian history.[7][8][9] A few days later, Prince Harry attended an exhibition sledge hockey game at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Toronto Mayor John Tory, as part of a series of launch events at the Royal York Hotel,[10] and with Elizabeth Dowdeswell in the office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Queen's Park.

The Games

Participating nations

All 15 countries from the 2016 Games were invited again,[11] while Romania and Ukraine made their debut.[12]

Sports

  • Archery
  • Athletics
  • Golf
  • Indoor rowing
  • Powerlifting
  • Road cycling
  • Sitting volleyball
  • Sledge hockey
  • Swimming
  • Wheelchair basketball
  • Wheelchair rugby

Calendar

Source:[13]

 OC Opening ceremony  ●  Event competitions  1 Event finals  CC Closing ceremony
September23rd
Sat		24th
Sun		25th
Mon		26th
Tues		27th
Wed		28th
Thurs		29th
Fri		30th
Sat		Total
CeremoniesOCCC
Archery ● ● 8 8
Athletics 29 32 61
Cycling 11 11 22
Driving Challenge 1 1
Golf 2 2
Indoor rowing 18 18
Powerlifting 4 2 6
Sitting volleyball ● 1 1
Swimming ● 29 29
Wheelchair basketball ● ● 1 1
Wheelchair rugby ● 1 1
Wheelchair tennis ● ● 1 1
Total gold medals 1 29 37 33 12 1 37 1 151
September23rd
Sat		24th
Sun		25th
Mon		26th
Tues		27th
Wed		28th
Thurs		29th
Fri		30th
Sat		Total

Medal table

  *   Host nation (Canada)

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States413855134
2 United Kingdom26352788
3 Canada*18171348
4 Australia16231352
5 Netherlands142824
6 France11141136
7 Ukraine83314
8 Iraq4004
9 New Zealand34411
10 Denmark3025
11 Estonia2248
12 Italy1539
13 Jordan1315
14 Germany1214
15 Romania1124
16 Georgia1001
17 Afghanistan0112
Totals (17 nations)151150148449

Broadcasters

Bell Media was announced as the exclusive broadcast partner of the Games, in a deal covering both the Orlando 2016 and Toronto 2017 events. Events were shown on TSN.[14] The station helped run the Toronto launch ceremony in May 2016.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 Sachgau, Oliver (29 April 2016). "Meet Vimy, the 2017 Invictus Games mascot". Toronto Star. Toronto ON. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  2. ↑ Kilkenny, Carmel (16 March 2016). "Invictus Games coming to Toronto in 2017". Radio Canada International. Montreal. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  3. ↑ "Venues". Invictus Games Toronto 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  4. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sheraton-centre-hotel-lobby-becomes-borderless-village-during-invictus-games-1.4306515
  5. ↑ Coyle, Jim (28 April 2016). "Royal Canadian Legion's donation to Invictus Games draws objections". Toronto Star. Toronto ON. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  6. ↑ "Invictus Games money well spent". Ottawa Sun. Ottawa. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  7. ↑ Anthony Wilson-Smith. "Vimy Ridge and the Birth of a Nation". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  8. ↑ Postmedia News (9 April 2012). "Battle of Vimy Ridge marked Canada's birth as a nation: Governor General David Johnston - National Post". National Post.
  9. ↑ "WarMuseum.ca - The Battle of Vimy Ridge April 9-12, 1917 - The First World War".
  10. ↑ "Prince Harry, Justin Trudeau launch 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto". CBC News Toronto. Toronto ON. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "Nations | Invictus Games Toronto 2017". www.invictusgames2017.com. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "Nations | Invictus Games Toronto 2017". www.invictusgames2017.com. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  13. ↑ http://results.invictusgames2017.com/index.cfm/en/grid/show
  14. 1 2 "Bell Media exclusive media partner of the Invictus Games Toronto 2017". TSN.
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