Invictus Games: Team UK Captain hopes to inspire his kids

James Rogers (left) will captain Team UK

A marine engineer submariner, who will captain Team UK at the 2023 Invictus games, says he hopes taking part will inspire his children.

Lt Cdr James Rogers, from Chippenham, Wiltshire, will head to the games in Düsseldorf next week.

He will compete in the cycling, indoor rowing, swimming and wheelchair basketball events.

The event features wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans.

Lt Cdr Rogers lives with a long-term autoimmune inflammatory arthritis condition, Ankylosing Spondylitis.

The condition affects his mobility and causes full-body pain and chronic fatigue.

He was diagnosed with the condition in 2016 and says it came on suddenly and aggressively.

"It took me a little bit of time to identify what it was, but luckily. through the combined efforts of the NHS and the define medical teams, they were able to identify it and put me on a treatment plans," said Lt Cdr Rogers.

When he was first diagnosed, he struggled to go to the park with his children.

"I like to think they're proud of what I can achieve," said Lt Cdr Rogers.

"It's been a tough few years for them, but it's nice to be able to show them what I am able to do and to inspire them to challenge themselves further."

In 2022, he took on cycling and swimming in the 2022 games, where he took home a bronze medal in the cycling time trials.

He says it is a privilege to captain Team UK in the 2023 games and is proud of how this year's team has gelled "fantastically".

"Team UK is a really unique team of people who were brought together. Against adversity, everyone's come together," said Lt Cdr Rogers

The 2023 Invictus games will be held in Düsseldorf from 9-16 September.