Ukraine applies to host Prince Harry's Invictus Games
Ukraine has launched a 'compelling' bid to host Prince Harry 's Invictus Games in four years.
Kyiv, the capital, is among six cities vying to host the 2029 event, despite war-torn Ukraine 's 'complex ongoing geopolitical challenges'.
The announcement comes weeks after the Duke of Sussex made an unannounced visit to Ukraine, where he met wounded military personnel and civilians at a rehabilitation clinic in the western city of Lviv.
In February, Dominic Reid, the outgoing chief executive of the Invictus Games Foundation (IGF), expressed hopes of holding the event in Ukraine as soon as possible after the war ended.
He said the country was now home to '100,000 amputees'.
The Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to certain parts of Ukraine including Kyiv.
The IGF said: 'Notwithstanding the complex ongoing geopolitical challenges, Ukraine has submitted a compelling expression of interest for hosting a future Invictus Games.
'With a demonstrable pressing need and powerful rationale for an internationally collaborative approach, Kyiv emphasises its legacy of hosting major international events and its commitment to using the Games as a platform for innovative recovery and rehabilitation services for its veteran population.'
It said a multi-ministerial commission would oversee planning and delivery.
Natalyia Kalmykova, Ukraine's veterans affairs minister, who met Prince Harry during his trip, said: 'Sport is a key function in veterans' healthcare.
'It's thanks to our relationship with Invictus that we established, and continue to develop, the role of sports in recovery in Ukraine, and why it's included in the veteran policy strategy.'
The Ukrainian team has played a prominent role in the Games in recent years.
In 2023, Harry and Meghan embraced Ukrainian silver medalist Yulia 'Taira' Paievska during the presentation ceremony in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The military medic had been due to participate in the 2022 event in The Hague but was captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol shortly beforehand.
Ms Paievska had previously been given a body camera to capture footage for the Duke's Heart of Invictus Netflix documentary series, which was later smuggled out of the country.
Other bidders to host the 2029 event are Aalborg, in Denmark, the Veneto region of Italy, Abuja in Nigeria, Daejeon in South Korea and San Diego in the US.
The 2029 bids were unveiled at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, and are said to reflect the 'unprecedented global enthusiasm' and growing impact of the Invictus movement worldwide.
Rob Owen, chief executive of the IGF, said it was a record number of bids.
He added: 'We look forward to working with each of these locations over the coming year to develop fuller propositions with the recovery of international wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans at their heart.'
A shortlist will be announced later this year, with the winning host city unveiled next summer.
The next Invictus Games will be held in Birmingham in July 2027, raising the prospect that Prince Harry might bring his children, Archie and Lilibet, back to the UK to be reunited with members of his family.
The first Invictus Games was held in London in 2014 and was attended by the King and Queen as well as Prince William.
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