The Invictus Games Orlando 2016, presented by Jaguar Land Rover and taking place from May 8-12 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort, today announced legendary actor Morgan Freeman will be participating in the Opening Ceremony May 8th.
Founded by Prince Harry and hosted in London in 2014, the Invictus Games are the only international adaptive sporting event for wounded, ill and injured military servicemen and women. Over 500 competitors from 14 nations will participate in the second Invictus Games May 8-12.
“The Invictus Games are a celebration of the human spirit and I am honored to be able to support these inspiring competitors who have embraced sport as part of their healing journey. I hope that my fellow Americans will join me in Orlando to cheer on these magnificent men and women who are truly unconquerable, as the Invictus poem says, they are the masters of their fates, they are the captains of their souls,” said Freeman.
The Opening Ceremony will include musical performances by British sensation Laura Wright and international star James Blunt and other surprise guests. The Ceremony features an unprecedented number of military performances, including the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, U.S. Army Band, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Team. In addition, the audience will hear emotional first-person narratives from injured servicemen MSgt Israel Del Toro Jr., LCpl John-James Chalmers and Louis Nethercott. The show is bound to be one of the most inspirational events Orlando has ever hosted.
From start to finish, competition at the Games will be action packed. Gold medals will be at stake every single day and competitors will be ready to dig in. The international field will be competing in 10 events: archery, cycling, indoor rowing, power lifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
The Closing Ceremony will feature musical performances by international popstar Rachel Platten, who will perform the song of the Games and her No. 1 single, “Fight Song.” In addition, best-selling country vocal group of the past decade Rascal Flatts, American sensation and former “American Idol” winner Phillip Phillips, Florida native and Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Flo Rida, “The Voice” Season 9 winner Jordan Smith and the first nationally-recognized wounded warrior band, Vetted.
Tickets for the Invictus Games can be purchased for as low as $13 at http://invictusgames2016.org/tickets/
Fans can purchase tickets to the unforgettable and one-of-a-kind Opening and Closing Ceremonies for $45 each at http://invictusgames2016.org/tickets/.