Tales of the Invictus Games Trivia Quiz

Answer: Prince Harry

There is a very touching story about how Prince Harry came to the decision to begin the Invictus Games. It was 2008, and the Prince was returning home from Afghanistan after a news report had leaked his presence with the British army there. Also riding on the plane that took him home were three wounded British soldiers with missing limbs that had been placed in induced comas and one deceased Danish soldier. Until that day, the Prince had only heard about war injuries - on that day they became a reality to him; it was the first time he had seen men with such injuries.

He became a patron of an organization called Walking With the Wounded, and participated in several events, such as a trek to the North Pole in 2011. The seed had been planted in his mind - but it would take another deployment to Afghanistan, and an invitation to speak at a similar venue before the Invictus Games would be born.

Answer: Unconquered

According to the "Online Etymology Dictionary", "invictus" is a Latin adjective meaning, ""unconquered, unsubdued, invincible". The ancient Romans, as early as the 3rd century BC, used it as an epithet to symbolize the invincibility of certain deities, such as Jupiter.

The term was used for the Invictus Games, according to the Invictus Games Foundation, because "It embodies the fighting spirit of wounded, injured and sick Service personnel and personifies what these tenacious men and women can achieve post injury".

The stated goal of the Games is "to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect".

Answer: Poem by William Ernest Henley

"Invictus" was written in 1775 by William Ernest Henley, an English poet. It is interesting to note that originally the poem had no title, and was subsequently published under a variety of titles, such as "Clear Grit" and "My Soul". The title "Invictus" was given to the poem by Arthur Quiller-Couch, who edited a collection, the "The Oxford Book of English Verse" in 1900, which included the poem. It was the last stanza of the poem that gave the Invictus Games their motto:

"It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul".

Was it a coincide that the writer of the poem, William Ernest Henley, was himself an amputee? It was in 1875 when, stricken with tuberculosis, one of Henley's legs had to be amputated. He wrote the poem while convalescing after surgery.

Answer: Warrior Games

Originally hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee in 2010, the Warrior Games have been held every year since. The event fell under the control of the U.S. Department of Defense in 2015. It was the 2013 Warrior Games that inspired then Captain Harry Wales to begin the Invictus Games; he had been invited that year to participate in the opening of the games by being part of the torch relay. According to "The Royal Foundation" website, it was after participating in some events, such as the sitting volleyball match, that he said, "I don't see how it wouldn't be possible to fill a stadium with 80,000 people, not to watch Olympics, not to watch Paralympics but to watch wounded Servicemen fight it out amongst each other - not on a battlefield but in a stadium".

Answer: False

At the inaugural Invictus Games in 2014, those who were invited to attend were from thirteen countries that had recently fought with British forces around the world, including the United States, France, and Denmark, in addition to Commonwealth Countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

There were no games in 2015 in order to allow the next host city, Orlando, Florida, to raise funds; by 2016, however, Jordan was added to the list of participating countries, and, in 2017, the list increased to include a total of 17 countries. Poland was added to the 2018 list of participants.

A May 15, 2018, article in "The Sun" estimated 550 competitors would participate in the games in Sydney.

Answer: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Royal Foundation, established by Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, pledged £1m of funding for the inaugural Invictus Games. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osbourne, matched the pledge with funds that had been acquired from banks during the Libor scandal; these banks were found to have changed interest rates so that they could appear to be more credible than they actually were and were consequently fined.

In addition, Jaguar Land Rover was also a sponsor of the Invictus Games, organizing a driving challenge as part of the competition. Even though The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is involved in many worthwhile endeavors, providing funding for the Invictus Games in 2014 was not one of them.

Answer: Adaptive Sport

Adaptive sport, also called parasport, is modified to better meet the needs of all participants. In fact, the athletes are grouped according to their disabilities when forming competitive teams; typically there are three broad groups - those with physical disabilities, those with cognitive or developmental delays, and those with both, so that the participants compete with individuals who share the same skill level. Many times wounded Servicemen and women go through a rehabilitation program that includes adaptive sport because it helps build a sense of belonging and self-esteem, creates an outlet for energy, encourages camaraderie, and improves their quality of life. (Invictus Games Toronto 2017)

Many of the adaptive sporting events for the Invictus Games held in Sydney have been in place since the inception of the games. These events include paralympic athletics (track and field), sitting volleyball, and wheelchair rugby, among others.

Answer: Sailing

The Sydney 2018 website says that "A brand new addition to the Invictus Games, the objective of sailing is to complete a set course in the fastest time". Since its inception, new events have been added to the Invictus Games depending on which types of venues are available in host cities.

The 2014 Games hosted just ten events, which have served as the mainstays of the Invictus Games. In the 2016 Orlando Games, the Paratriathlon and Wheelchair Tennis were on the list, and in 2017, Wheelchair Tennis remained as an event, while the Paratriathlon was replaced by Golf.

In 2018 there are eleven events, the ten mainstay events with Sailing being added.

Answer: It was part of Canada's Sesquicentennial celebration.

In 2017 Canada celebrated 150 years of being part of the British Commonwealth. The Toronto 2017 Invictus Games website also states that the people of Canada were interested in finding a way to show their appreciation toward the ill and/or wounded Servicemen and women. In addition, after having hosted the Pan American and Parapan American Games in 2015, Toronto had the necessary venues for the staging of events. A survey taken at the conclusion of the Games indicated that "96% of Greater Toronto Area (GTA) residents "strongly" or "somewhat agree" that post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) is a significant issue for those who serve". Ninety percent of those taking the survey indicated a desire to help veterans who face such daunting challenges after serving their country.

As a side note, Meghan Markle appeared at the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games on September 24, 2017; while she was seen in the audience, she and Harry were actually seated several rows apart. The next day, however, they arrived together and sat in the front row of a wheelchair tennis match! Within two months they announced their engagement.

Answer: True

The long-term objective of the Invictus Games was that Britain's wounded Servicemen and women would not be forgotten after their participation in the War in Afghanistan ended. It seems like the organization has largely met its goal; the plan was never that the Games would continue indefinitely. Having said that, ending the Games may seem to be hugely disappointing, considering the popularity of the Games and the number of people who have obviously benefited from participating in them.

The truth of the matter is that it should be the hope of us all that war will not continue on, and that eventually there will no longer be wounded Service people to participate.

It was never the intention for the Games to continue indefinitely; according to an article in "The Express" (September 10, 2017), government sources had said that the plan was that there would be a grand finale event in London in 2020.

A few days later, however, "The Telegraph" printed an article in which the Prince was quoted as saying that he felt a social responsibility to continue the games and "The sky's the limit".

In other words, as long as the need is there, the Games will continue! As of this writing, the Games for Sydney 2018 will take place, and plans are underway for Amsterdam 2020, as recently confirmed by the Prince himself.