Home February Events 2025 Vancouver Invictus Games

2025 Vancouver Invictus Games

February 5, 2024

An international event organized by Prince Harry, the Invictus Games is a sporting competition for injured and ill military servicemen. It came to BC in 2025.

The Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler

The Invictus Games is modelled after the Warrior Games in the US, which is also for active and veteran military personnel. The word “Invictus” means “undefeated” or “unconquerable” and is meant to evoke the fighting spirit of those wounded or otherwise harmed in the line of duty.

London hosted the first Invictus Games in 2014. The Games were founded by Prince Harry who was inspired by a visit to the Warrior Games the previous year. Since then there have been five subsequent Games. Orlando hosted in 2016, followed by Toronto in 2017, Sydney in 2018, The Hague in 2022 and Düsseldorf in 2023. Following the Games in Vancouver in 2025, Invictus returns to the United Kingdom in 2027 where Birmingham will be hosting them in July.

The 2025 Invictus Games were in both Vancouver and Whistler from February 8th to 16th. This is the seventh Invictus Games, and Canada is the first country to host the Games twice. Over 500 athletes representing 20 different countries competed at the event. The countries invited to participate were mostly from Europe, as well as some from North America, Asia and Oceania.

BC Place at Invictus Games Opening Ceremonies — Opening Ceremonies at BC Place

Vancouver’s Bid

The winning bid for the 2025 Games was submitted jointly by Vancouver and Whistler as well as the Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations. They also partnered with the True Patriot Love foundation which supports veterans, active military members and their families.

This was the first Winter Hybrid Invictus Games. Participants in each event are current or former servicemen and women.

HOTELS IN DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

Looking for a place to stay in downtown Vancouver? Then check out the website StayVancouverHotels.com. You’ll find competitive pricing there, plus you’ll get a bonus perk (like a gift card or tickets to an event). Participating hotels include the Westin Bayshore, Pinnacle Harbourfront and lots of other great places.

Looking for a place to stay in Whistler? Then see the website WhatToDoInWhistler.ca. You’ll find lots of great places to stay there too, including the Pinnacle Whistler, Fairmont, Hilton and other hotels.

Prince Harry at Invictus Games — Prince Harry at the Invictus Games

Events at the Games

There were 11 different sports at the 2025 Games including swimming, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, sitting volleyball and indoor rowing which are at every Games.

In addition, there were adapted winter sports at the Invictus Games for the first time. You could expect to see alpine skiing, biathlon, Nordic cross-country, skeleton, snowboarding and wheelchair curling.

There were six venues for the competitions. In Vancouver there were events at the Vancouver Convention Centre, the UBC Aquatic Centre and Hillcrest Centre. Whistler played host to events at Whistler Blackcomb resort, Whistler Olympic Park and the Whistler Sliding Centre.

In addition, the opening ceremony for the Games was at BC Place Stadium and the closing ceremony was at Rogers Arena.

Musical artists who performed at the opening ceremony on February 8th were Katy Perry, Nelly Furtado, Chris Martin (from the band Coldplay) and Noah Kahan. Speakers included the Lieutenant Governor of BC, Premier David Eby and Prince Harry. The closing ceremony on February 16th featured the Barenaked Ladies, Jelly Roll and The War & Treaty.

Invictus Games Opening Ceremonies Video

The following video shows scenes from the Opening Ceremonies at the Invictus Games at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver in 2025.

Medal Ceremonies

The medals for the 2025 Invictus Games were designed by four Indigenous artists, led by Levi Nelson of the Lil’wat Nation. The design incorporated traditional Coast Salish imagery including half of the eye of the Creator, a war paddle and braided cedar rope. Four hundred and sixty-two medals were awarded over the course of the Games.

Each medal was presented inside a handmade Salish Bentwood Box and accompanied by a “Quarter Bag.” A Quarter Bag is a hand-knit wool bag, and each of them are slightly different from every other bag.

BC’S PLACE FOR SPORTS HISTORY

Want to learn about the history of sports and professional teams in British Columbia? Then check out the BC Sports Hall of Fame at BC Place Stadium. The museum is full of information about the Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Whitecaps, Vancouver Canadians and BC Lions. There are also exhibits about Canada’s two most famous athletes with physical challenges – Terry Fox and Rick Hansen.

Despite losing his leg to cancer, Terry Fox raised millions of dollars for cancer research by running across Canada. Rick Hansen, meanwhile, was the “Man in Motion” who wheeled his wheelchair all around the world raising money and awareness for spinal cord research. Both Canadian heroes are from British Columbia and lived in Metro Vancouver. The BC Sports Hall of Fame also has an exceptional Indigenous Sports Gallery.

See our article about the BC Sports Hall of Fame or visit bcsportshall.com to learn more.

Invictus Games Schedule

Below was the schedule of events for the 2025 Games. Tickets to attend the competitions ranged from around $13 to $30.

Saturday, February 8th

Opening Ceremony – at BC Place (1:00 pm to 3:00 pm)
Wheelchair Basketball – pool play at the Vancouver Convention Centre (6:20 pm to 9:30 pm)

Sunday, February 9th

Wheelchair Basketball – pool play, semi-finals and finals at the Vancouver Convention Centre (8:20 am to 9:30 pm)
Wheelchair Curling – pool play, semi-finals and finals at the Hillcrest Centre (8:30 am to 8:30 pm)

Monday, February 10th

Skeleton – finals at the Whistler Sliding Centre (12:00 pm to 7:00 pm)

Tuesday, February 11th

Alpine Skiing & Snowboarding – novice finals at Whistler Blackcomb (10:30 am to 3:00 pm)
Nordic Cross-Country – finals at Whistler Olympic Park (10:00 am to 12:00 pm)
Biathlon – finals at Whistler Olympic Park (12:15 pm to 3:30 pm)
Skeleton – finals at the Whistler Sliding Centre (12:00 pm to 7:00 pm)