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Invictus Games for injured servicemen start in Florida Invictus Games: Prince Harry opens Florida event
(35 minutes later)
Prince Harry has said the Invictus Games for injured servicemen and women are a showcase for the "very best of the human spirit". Prince Harry has opened the Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida, calling the five-day event "a showcase for the very best of the human spirit".
The prince, who founded the games, was writing in the official programme of the opening ceremony in the city of Orlando in Florida. The prince, who founded the games for injured veterans, said he hoped they would also inspire people affected by mental illness to seek help.
This is the second time the games have been run, after London in 2014.This is the second time the games have been run, after London in 2014.
During the five-day tournament more than 500 athletes from 14 countries will compete in a range of sports. More than 500 athletes from 14 countries will compete in sports including athletics, rugby and tennis.
They include athletics, cycling, tennis and basketball. Thousands of people attended the lively opening ceremony, among them the prince and US first lady Michelle Obama, Hollywood star Morgan Freeman, British singer James Blunt and the soprano Laura Wright.
As well as Prince Harry, thousands of people attended the opening ceremony, among them the US first lady Michelle Obama, the Hollywood star Morgan Freeman, the British singer James Blunt and the soprano Laura Wright. The BBC's Aleem Maqbool who was at the ceremony said it was "at some times a very emotional event with injured veterans telling their stories" and Prince Harry describing his own experience of 10 years in the British Army.
The five-day tournament will see more than 500 athletes compete in a Paralympic-style event that will feature a range of indoor and outdoor sports. In his speech to open the event, Prince Harry said: "It is not just physical injuries that our Invictus competitors have overcome.
Prince Harry is patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, which oversees the delivery of the event and its legacy. "Every single one of them will have confronted tremendous emotional and mental challenges. When we give a standing ovation to the competitor with the missing limbs, let's also cheer our hearts out for the man who overcame anxiety so severe he couldn't leave his house.
He wrote in the programme: "The next four days will be a fantastic showcase of competition, camaraderie and the very best of the human spirit." "Let's cheer for the woman who fought through post-traumatic stress and let's celebrate the soldier who was brave enough to get help for his depression."
Prince Harry said ahead of the opening that he hoped the Games would "smash the stigma" surrounding military mental health issues in the same way the London event had helped people come to terms with physical wounds. He added: "To those of you watching at home and who are suffering from mental illness in silence - whether a veteran or a civilian, a mum or a dad, a teenager or a grandparent - I hope you see the bravery of our Invictus champions who have confronted invisible injuries, and I hope you are inspired to ask for the help that you need."
"I've spoken to everybody who has severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to minor depression, anxiety - whatever it might be," he said. British cycling competitor Craig Preece, who was injured in both legs after an IED explosion in Afghanistan, said he was looking forward to being able "to showcase to the world what we can still do".
"Everybody says the same thing, if you can deal with it soon enough and have the ability and the platform to speak about it openly, then you can fix these problems. The Paralympic-style tournament will feature track and field athletics, indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, wheelchair rugby, tennis and basketball as well as cycling, swimming, archery and triathlon.
"And if you can't fix it, you can at least find coping mechanisms - that's what it's all about, there's no reason people should be hiding in shame after they've served their country." Heats and preliminary rounds were held over the weekend. The finals schedule begins on Monday with powerlifting followed by rowing and archery.
In an interview with the BBC the prince described the Games as a popular cause to benefit "people who had put their lives on the line".In an interview with the BBC the prince described the Games as a popular cause to benefit "people who had put their lives on the line".