Prince Harry's Invictus Games events face huge delays due to coronavirus pandemic

Prince Harry's passion project, the multi-sport event Invictus Games faces delays due to coronavirus pandemic. The Invictus Games Foundation has recently hinted at more delays in the events that were planned to take place in the year 2020 and 2022.

Founded by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Invictus Games is an international sports event for wounded, injured, or sick armed services personnel and veterans taking part in nine sports including wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, and indoor rowing. Since its establishment, there have been few Invictus Games contest. The next one was supposed to be held in The Hague, Netherlands in in May this year.

However, in March, during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced the event was likely to be rescheduled for the summer of 2021. And now, in a statement released on Invictus Games Foundation's official Twitter announced that the Invictus Games Dusseldorf that was to take place in the following year to The Hague event is postponed further.

It will now take place in the year 2023 to accommodate the next contest and provide time to the competitors and their teams to prepare.

"Moving the Invictus Games Dusseldorf to 2023 allows the competitors and their team managers time to plant their recovery pathways following the move of The Invictus Games The Hague to next year," reads the announcement by Dominic Reid, CEO of The Invictus Games Foundation.

"It's extremely complex to be planning not one, but two multi-national sporting events in the middle of a pandemic, and the Invictus Games Foundation is grateful to the Organising Committee in Germany for their flexibility and hard work in responding to the challenges," he added.

An elaborate statement was released on the official website of The Invictus Games Foundation which reveals that the decision was made "in close coordination" with the Invictus Games Foundation and the German Organising Committee in response to the ongoing pandemic.

It was in 2019, when Germany, represented by the Federal Ministry of Defence (FMOD) and the Sports City of Düsseldorf applied to host the Invictus Games. It was in January 2020, when the foundation announced the big victory of Germany and awarded them with the Dusseldorf event that is to be held after The Hague.

Germany will reportedly welcome approximately 500 competitors from 20 countries and about 1000 friends and family of the contestants. The games will be held for one week period in June 2023 at a date yet to be announced.