Unconquered! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wounded and sick soldiers and veterans

The Warrior Games is a competition that is organised by the US Department of Defense and used to be exclusively for American soldiers. However, the Invictus Games came to be as a platform for a more worldwide array of countries, and keeps expanding every year. During these games, soldiers and veterans participate in a variety of sports, from archery to athletics to swimming to team sports, in a friendly competition.

The games allow for wounded soldiers in mind and body a way of healing by showing them that their competitive spirit is unconquered, even though they are faced with challenges in their day-to-day lives.

Answer: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

The Invictus Games were started by Prince Harry (UK royal), Duke of Sussex, in 2014. The concept behind the games was to honour soldiers who had been injured and veterans who were living with a disability. They would join together in an uplifting show of spirit and camaraderie while competing in organized sports. The idea was dear to his heart due to his own military service.

Prince Harry entered military service in 2005 and was quickly commissioned as an officer. He was slated to serve in Iraq, but instead was deployed to Afghanistan, twice. He performed active duty in hostile territory and also qualified as an Apache pilot.

Answer: Roman

The term 'Invictus' is Latin, and was first used by the Romans to honour their gods. The great Roman statesman Cicero considered it a proper commemoration of the god Jupiter to be described as Invictus. The British poet William Ernest Henley used the term as a title for one of his poems from which vivid imagery is drawn:

"And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid."

It was therefore fitting that Prince Harry used the term 'Invictus' as the title of the games he conceived. His intention was to uplift the spirits of wounded soldiers and to show them that they are invincible in the face of their challenges.

Answer: Deputy chairman of the London Olympics/Paralympics

Sir Keith Mills was the chairman for London Invictus Games in 2014 as well as the chairman of the Invictus Games Foundation. He founded the Air Miles program which took off successfully in several places around the world. He was later involved in another loyalty card program, the Nectar card. When London was awarded the 2012 Olympics, Sir Keith was the deputy chairman for the games and the subsequent Paralympic games. He was then hired by the Invictus board to chair the games.

The incorrect answers were also Keiths. Keith Richards was the guitarist, lyricist, and co-founder of the successful rock band The Rolling Stones. Keith Curle was a football player and then manager in the English leagues. Finally, the bronze medal winner in the 1984 LA Olympics in the triple jump was Keith Connor.

Answer: Iraq

Fourteen teams were invited to the first Invictus Games: Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States. All of these countries sent a team except for Iraq. The countries were chosen as they had fought alongside the United Kingdom at some point in their history.

Answer: Polo

The inaugural Invictus Games had teams competing in sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair rugby. Polo was never considered because the games are about individuals overcoming their demons, not about showcasing sports. Also, the logistics for transferring horses across oceans are very complex and would have made the logistics difficult and pricey. Also, having the facilities to play polo would have required another venue, again, incurring more costs.

Answer: I am

The logo for the Invictus Games as well as the medals awarded at the games is "I am". This uses the name of the games graphically when arranged one on top of the other:

invIctus
-gAMes-

This refers to the line from the poem by William Ernest Henley "I am the master of my fate," which is also engraved. These medals were designed by the Garrard jewellery house who have designed medals for many competitions around the world and over the years. The design was based on an idea by Harry Parker, a British soldier that had been wounded in his tour in Afghanistan.

Answer: It cannot - no official tally is kept

The Invictus Games are about individual achievement and building camaraderie between soldiers. The goal is to break down barriers. While countries send teams of competitors to win at their events, the goal is not to have one country triumph over another. No official medal tally is kept. If you do a search online, news articles can be found with which country won which medals, however, these are for national pride alone.

From the website:
"The Invictus Games is an event to inspire opportunity and honour achievement. Whilst medals are awarded to competition winners and runners-up, Invictus Games will not be creating a competitive nation by nation medal table. All competition results and the biographies of the medal winners can be found on the Invictus Games website."

Answer: Driving challenge

When the Invictus Games were still just an idea, Jaguar Land Rover committed a million pounds to the Foundation to help them get off the ground. A driving challenge sponsored by Jaguar Land Rover and using vehicles supplied by them was started and has continued for the games. The challenge consists of driving with both speed and precision, occasionally with a variety of terrains (water, sand, etc.) and also with several skill tests.

The cars and trucks provided for the challenge can be and have been retrofitted to meet the competitors' variety of disabilities. The challenge shows that there is no difference in the driving abilities of competitors that have disabilities and an able-bodied driver.

Answer: The Hague, Netherlands

The 2020 Invictus Games were supposed to have been held in The Hague, Netherlands, in May of 2020. However, due to the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic, it was determined that the games should be pushed back a year to 2021. When the virus continued to be devastating in 2021, the games were pushed back yet again to the Spring of 2022.

The 2022 games were to have been held in Düsseldorf, Germany, but these were also pushed back by a year to 2023. Despite these setbacks, the spirit of the games remains undaunted, just like its athletes.