South Korean city to host Invictus Games for wounded warriors in 2029

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea, chosen to host the 2029 Invictus Games, will become the first Asian country to stage the international athletic competition for service members and veterans wounded or sickened during their service, according to the Invictus Games Foundation.

The games will take place in Daejeon, about 100 miles south of Seoul, the foundation announced on its website Monday. The city won out over San Diego and Aalborg, Denmark. The ninth edition of the biennial games is scheduled for next year in Birmingham, England.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs plans to increase funding and pursue special legislation to support the games and establish rehabilitation programs, Vice Minister Kang Yun-jin said at a press briefing Wednesday in Seoul.

“It is remarkable that a country once among the poorest, which received such support, has grown into a nation capable of repaying that support after 76 years. There should not be any wars, but I hope the games can provide a good opportunity for the wounded to rehabilitate,” Kang said.

Jerry Millan, center, a Special Operations Command master sergeant on Team USA, competes in indoor rowing during the Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada, in February 2025. (Michel Sauret/U.S. Army)

Around 550 athletes from 26 countries are expected to compete in Daejeon in a maximum of 12 sports, including indoor rowing, archery and swimming, the ministry said in a news release Monday.

The United Kingdom’s Prince Harry, a 10-year veteran of the British army who served in Afghanistan, founded the games based on inspiration from the annual U.S. Warrior Games, according to the foundation’s website. Hundreds of athletes take part in the annual Warrior Games sponsored by the U.S. Army Transformation & Training Command, according to its website.

The first Invictus Games took place in 2014 to support the recovery of wounded, injured and sick service members and veterans through sports while helping them reintegrate into society, Kang said at the briefing.

Team USA has sent 533 competitors to seven games and hosted the 2016 event in Orlando, Fla., according to the foundation’s website.

Prince Harry hung the final gold medal around U.S. Army Sgt. Elizabeth Marks at Orlando, where Marks won four swimming events. She said the attention shown her was meant as an example to other wounded service members still struggling with their injuries.

“It’s about showing them there’s another path and they are welcome,” she told Stars and Stripes at the time. “The only way we can lose here is if someone feels alone.”

The South Korean government will work closely “to ensure that the Games serve as a platform for the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans from around the world, as well as for solidarity and unity,” Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Kwon Oh-eul said in the release Monday.

Yoo Eul-sang, president of the Korea Disabled Veterans Organization, said he hopes the games will deepen public understanding of their sacrifices and dedication, according to the release.