Prince Harry Is 'Immensely Grateful' to 'Friend' Who Helped Build His Invictus Games amid Step Down

Prince Harry is praising a faithful leader of his groundbreaking mission for veterans and armed forces members.

Dominic Reid, the CEO who led the Invictus Games from its inception, says he will stand down as it "is the time for someone new to take this vital movement forward into its second vigorous decade."

The Duke of Sussex, 39, paid tribute to Reid for what he had done to help take the Invictus Games from its first iteration in London in 2014 to the world stage.

"Ten years on from the inception of the Invictus Games, we proudly stand as a community of 23 nations spanning every continent, fulfilling our mission of saving and changing lives," Harry said in a statement. "I am immensely grateful to my friend Dominic, whose dedication and leadership transformed the Invictus Games from an ambitious idea to an internationally recognized movement."

In his thanks, Harry added praise for Reid’s “decade of relentless service to the Invictus Games Foundation.” “What a journey it has been, and how fortunate we are to work with such an incredible community of people. We pray we don't need the Games for another ten years, but thanks to you, the team and our future CEO, we will be ready.”

Reid outlined in his statement that they initially thought the Paralympic-style competition for veterans and service personnel might be a one-off event. "But the unstable geopolitical landscape we now inhabit makes it vital that our work continues well into the future, as more and more service personnel are wounded every day," he said.

"Our global community continues to demonstrate the impact of Invictus across the world," he continued. "We have established legacy programs with Invictus Australia and Invictus Germany.”

It has continued with projects such as the Netflix documentary Heart of Invictus, while last month Germany introduced a veterans' day for the first time, partially due to Dusseldorf hosting the contest in 2023.

Reid added that he is "pleased to have set the Invictus Games Foundation on a solid footing and to have built an outstanding team which is drawn in part from the community we serve.”

"It has been a privilege to work closely with Prince Harry to deliver his vision of an international sporting event for those who have served, and for their families a -

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nd friends. His concept, passion, and drive have been instrumental in our success, in particular by focussing attention on mental health in sports rehabilitation," Reid said.

He added, "It has been an honor to build and work with an incredible, dedicated and high-functioning team whom I count as friends and not just colleagues. And to establish and develop this global movement which now has 23 member nations and a presence on every continent."

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The next Invictus Games are taking place in Vancouver and Whistler in Canada in February 2025. The event will be the first winter hybrid to unite traditional core sports with the addition of some winter sports.

Reid leaves as the organization prepares to name the next venue for the Invictus Games to be held, with Birmingham, England, and Washington, D.C., in contention.

On July 12, Prince Harry accepted thePat Tillman Award for Serviceat the 2024ESPY Awards in recognition of the Invictus Games. The Duke of Sussex used the occasion to pay tribute to Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman, who previouslycriticized ESPN's choice to award him as this year's recipient.

Prince Harry said in his acceptance, "The truth is, I stand here not as Prince Harry, Pat Tillman Award recipient, but rather a voice on behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation and the thousands of veterans and service personnel from over 20 nations who have made the Invictus Games a reality. This award belongs to them, not to me. That said, it is of great importance to me to highlight these allies, athletes and their amazing families for their achievements, their spirit, and their courage at every opportunity, especially on nights like this, in front of people like you."

The 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games was celebrated with a service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London in March.

After the anniversary event, Prince Harry and his wife,Meghan Markle, headed to Nigeria where they celebrated the newest, and first African, country to join the Invictus Games. While they were there, a new Invictus Games center was unveiled to help wounded, sick and injured servicemen and women.

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