Prince Harry Announces the 2020 Invictus Games

From Good Housekeeping

Expect to see Prince Harry wearing more orange. The Duke of Sussex just announced today that the 2020 Invictus Games will take place in The Hague, Netherlands.

The Paralympic-style international sporting competition honors wounded, injured or sick military personnel and veterans. The first iteration took place in London in 2014, followed by Orlando in 2016, and Toronto last year. In October, Sydney will host the fourth Invictus Games.

"The Netherlands has supported the Games from the very beginning, and I know that everyone there will fully get behind and support then soldiers and veterans who have served their countries so bravely," Prince Harry said in a statement.

The duke, who served as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan, founded the competition after attending the similar U.S. Warrior Games. "We decided it was such a wonderful concept, we should steal it, make it bigger, make it better and bring it back home," he told BBC Radio 2 in 2014. The name comes from the Latin word for "unconquered" or "invincible."

The inaugural games in London featured around 300 competitors from 13 countries, and now 18 nations plan to send athletes to Australia this fall. They'll compete in events such as wheelchair tennis, para-cycling, indoor rowing, and archery.

Meghan Markle will likely join her new husband in promoting the games. After making their first public appearance as a couple in Toronto last year, they attended U.K. team trials this spring.

After Sydney, the Invictus Games Foundation planned to extend the period between games to two years, according to the Associated Press. The Hague won hosting duties in a competitive process, and the date will coincide with 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands during World War II.

The Hague is located on the coast of South Holland and the international relations hub is the third-largest city in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and nearby Rotterdam.

You Might Also Like

• 40+ Gorgeous Kitchen Design Ideas You'll Want to Steal

• 7 Genius Ways to Kill Fruit Flies

• 37 Genius Double-Duty Organizing Ideas