The Invictus Games: Be the Change
This week Britain will host the inaugural Invictus Games, a sporting event for wounded servicemen and -women, to be held in venues made famous by the London 2012 Para/Olympics. It is an opportunity for the competitors to show the world their undefeatable spirit and post-injury capabilities, and for those watching to show a debt of gratitude for the sacrifice they have made for their countries.
The Games takes its name from the poem Invictus – Unconquerable – by amputee William Ernest Henley, who lost one leg due to complications from TB and was determined not to lose the other. Henley wrote his rousing anthem in 1875 – that’s 139 years ago! This week, here on Ramblings, we will be honouring some of those ‘unconquerable souls’ in the world of sport. We will be celebrating the strength and commitment of differently-abled athletes, encouraging people to embrace equality, foster tolerance and acceptance, and focus on ability rather than disability. Looking at the world through enlightened eyes is long overdue.
It is said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Well, it doesn’t matter whether you make it with a foot, a prosthesis or a wheelchair, so long as you move in the right direction.
