Birmingham to host 2027 Invictus Games

The Invictus Games have grown considerably since they were founded in 2014, with about 500 competitors taking part last year in Dusseldorf

Birmingham has won the bid to host the 2027 Invictus Games, beating off competition from Washington DC.

The event, staged every two years, sees injured military personnel and veterans from around the world compete in a range of sports.

Staged at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), the Birmingham games will be the first time the event has come to the UK since the Duke of Sussex staged the inaugural tournament in London in 2014.

"Your city's strong ties to the armed forces community made it a formidable contender from the very start," Prince Harry said.

"We have no doubt the people of Birmingham will join in celebrating the unwavering respect and admiration we have for our veteran and service community, showing the world how their courage ignites hope and unites us all - something your city knows well."

A flag-raising ceremony with veterans minister Al Carns was held at the NEC on Tuesday morning to mark the announcement.

Rachel Massey, European para-triathlete and laser run gold medallist from Birmingham, was at a gathering to mark the news

The £26m government-backed bid drew on the armed forces' connections with Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

During the Afghanistan conflict, severely injured military casualties evacuated from Helmand province were treated at the QE Hospital in Selly Oak.

The hospital is also home to the Royal College of Defence Medicine, while the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre is also based in the Midlands, near Loughborough.

Veteran Staff Sergeant Jonny Ball, who won bronze in powerlifting at last year's event in Dusseldorf, had injured his leg in a motorcycle crash in 2019, resulting in near-limb loss and plenty of surgery in Coventry.

He said: "What I was really struck by in Germany was how the community came out and witnessed the Games. We had tens of thousands of people.

"The Invictus is a reward for the family as much as it is for the individual who goes through that experience."

Mr Ball added the Duke of Sussex had "changed the way in which we view veterans in this country, and we'll be forever grateful for the leadership and the vision that he showed with the Games".

Jonny Ball won a bronze in powerlifting at the event in Germany

Financially struggling Birmingham City Council said a "new delivery model", developed with partners, required "no financial input" on its part.

Helen Helliwell, chief executive of Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, said the games would be paid for by "central government funding, so we've got a full government underwrite" through the Office for Veterans' Affairs.

But she added "actually, really importantly, I want the money to come from the private sector, so I've been working hard to secure six founding partners".

Among those involved in 2023 were servicemen and women from Ukraine injured following the Russian invasion

Michelle Turner took part in the indoor rowing at the 2017 games in Toronto and ended up in hospital.

She said: "Just because you go to a games... people's legs don't grow back, people don't stop collapsing, but it gives you the confidence to carry on regardless.

"I didn't get to swim, so when I went out to Sydney [in 2018], that was my moment to show my family we can do it, and I did and I swam."

Helen Helliwell said the event would be the most "sustainable event in Invictus Games history" with legacy programmes benefiting communities nationwide

Invictus Games Foundation CEO Dominic Reid said the competition might get 600 competitors.

"It's not all about winning, it's about the taking part, which is a slightly old-fashioned concept, but that's where the healing takes place.

"So when you see somebody come in last and get a fantastic standing ovation, that's a win.

"Anybody who comes, anybody who sees these people, meets the friends and families... gets involved, you will have a moment where you are emotionally overwhelmed, because the stories are extraordinary."

Prince Harry, here pictured during the 2016 Invictus Games, founded the event after he visited the Warrior Games in the US in 2013

Prince Harry, who served in Afghanistan, said each city had brought "a unique spirit and vision to life for competitors, their families and spectators".

The 2025 event in Vancouver and Whistler is expected to attract 550 competitors from up to 25 nations.

Three new sports, pickleball, laser run and esports, are expected to feature in 2027.