CN Tower lighting and special event taking place at Yonge-Dundas Square to celebrate milestone
TORONTO, ON, September 23, 2016 — Tonight, the CN Tower will be lit in yellow to commemorate the one-year countdown to the 2017 Invictus Games taking place in Toronto from September 24 to 30, 2017, with further celebrations continuing next Saturday (October 1), the evening of Nuit Blanche Toronto, at Yonge-Dundas Square.
Established by Prince Harry in 2014, the Invictus Games are the only international adaptive sporting event for wounded, ill and injured active duty and veteran service members. The Invictus Games Toronto 2017 will present a unique opportunity for Canadians to honour its servicemen and women and their families on the very year our nation celebrates its 150th anniversary of Confederation.
Prince Harry, Patron of the Invictus Games Foundation said: “One year from tomorrow the Invictus Games arrive in Toronto. The Toronto organisers have promised the best Games yet – more nations competing, more sporting events, and more inspiring moments than ever before. After London and Orlando the bar has been set high – it’s going to take all Canadians to get behind the Games to take Invictus to the next level. See you next year, Toronto!”
Presented by Jaguar Land Rover, these will be the third and largest Invictus Games yet with up to 600 competitors from 17 nations competing in 12 sports, including wheelchair rugby, swimming and the introduction of golf. Over the upcoming months, participating nations—including, for the first time, Romania and Ukraine—will be recruiting their teams of ill, wounded and injured service members who will participate in the Invictus Games as a means of rehabilitation.
The Games will be held in nine venues across the city of Toronto, including the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre and Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre. The 2017 Games will also showcase iconic Toronto sites such as the Toronto Island Parks, Fort York National Historic Site and St. George’s Golf and Country Club, among others.
“The inclusion of two new nations and the introduction of an additional sport are just two of the many indicators of the interest and success sparked by the first two Invictus Games,” said Michael Burns, Chief Executive Officer of the Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Organizing Committee. “Toronto will be welcoming Invictus Games competitors, friends and family from around the world who will demonstrate their unconquerable spirit and smash the stigma around physical and mental wounds.”
Leading Team Canada are newly announced co-captains Captain Simon Mailloux and Master Corporal (Retired) Natacha Dupuis. Both are coping with physical and/or mental wounds as a result of their service, and have used the Invictus Games to help them on their journey to recovery.
“There is so much pride [knowing] that Canada is hosting the next Invictus Games,” says Captain Mailloux. “[…] I know the military community will close ranks in support of us, but I’m also confident that Canadians from coast to coast will want to come out to support this inspiring competition!”
One-Year Countdown Celebration at Yonge-Dundas Square
During Nuit Blanche Toronto, on October 1, 2016, the Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Organizing Committee is partnering with the City of Toronto to celebrate the one-year countdown to the third Invictus Games. The kickoff event will run from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. at Yonge-Dundas Square and will include a live mural experience by renowned sports artist David Arrigo and a collaborative installation in which nearly 10,000 members of the public will take part in building a 30 ft. x 30 ft. “I AM the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul” structure from individual building blocks.
“The City of Toronto is looking forward to welcoming the Invictus Games in 2017,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory. “These Games are creating opportunities for men and women who have sacrificed for their countries. Sport has the unique power to change lives. I encourage all Torontonians to visit the installation at Yonge-Dundas Square on October 1 and be part of what the Invictus Games are building.”
To showcase their involvement in the Invictus Games Toronto 2017, the Canadian Armed Forces will have a leopard tank and a Light Armed Vehicle on display during the event. Jaguar Land Rover will also be displaying their vehicles on the square.
“Jaguar Land Rover is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the 2017 Invictus Games and we are very excited that the event will take place in Canada,” said Wolfgang Hoffmann, President, Jaguar Land Rover Canada. “The Invictus Games represent a triumph of the human spirit over adversity and all those participating are examples of what true role models should be”.
For more information about the sports, venues and participating nations, please visit invictusgames2017.com.
MEDIA ADVISORY—PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
Saturday, October 1: Yonge-Dundas Square (1 Dundas St E, Toronto): arrive at 6:30 p.m. (ET) for 7:00 p.m. start
• Media are invited to attend the photo opportunity. The following special guests will be placing the inaugural blocks on the I AM structure:
The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
John Tory, City of Toronto Mayor
Wolfgang Hoffman, president of Jaguar Land Rover Canada
Natacha Dupuis and Simon Mailloux, co-captains of the 2017 Invictus Games Team Canada
Michael Burns, Chief Executive Officer, Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Organizing Committee
• Media scrum with special guests will occur immediately following the photo opportunity.
• Photographers are advised to bring a riser or step stool for optimal photo positioning.
About the Invictus Games Toronto 2017
The Invictus Games use the power of adaptive sport to help wounded warriors on their journey to recovery. The inaugural Invictus Games took place in London in September 2014 with the second, and equally successful, event taking place in Orlando in May 2016. The Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Organizing Committee (IG2017) is tasked with planning and executing a Games that will capture the imaginations of the Canadian public, corporations and governments, as well as soldiers, veterans and their families.
Follow the 2017 Invictus Games journey at invictusgames2017.com and on social media at @InvictusToronto.
For more information, please contact:
Pj Kwong
Media relations coordinator
Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Organizing Committee
media@invictusgames2017.com
M: 416-898-3095