Invictus Games Announces 2016 U.S. Team and Tickets on Sale Date
115 men and women from across the United States selected to compete
–Tickets To Go On Sale 3/7–
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Invictus Games Organizing Committee announced the 115 competitors who will make up the U.S. team in the 2016 Invictus Games presented by Jaguar Land Rover. Hosted at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL, May 8-12, the 2016 Invictus Games will bring together more than 500 competitors from 15 nations to compete in 10 adaptive sports – archery, cycling, indoor rowing, power lifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
The Invictus Games are the only international adaptive sporting event for wounded, ill, and injured active duty and veteran service members. Following a 2013 visit to the U.S. Department of Defense Warrior Games, Prince Harry was inspired to create an expanded international version and founded the first Invictus Games hosted in London in 2014.
Tickets for the 2016 Invictus Games will go on sale on Monday 3/7 and more information about tickets and competition schedule can be found by clicking https://invictusgames2016.info/ — don’t miss out! Sign up for information about tickets and we will let you know as soon as they go on sale.
The 2016 U.S. team captain is retired U.S. Army Captain Will Reynolds and the co-captain is active duty Army Sergeant First Class Yancy Taylor. They will lead a team consisting of 115 active duty and veteran service members – a 15 percent increase in size from the inaugural games in 2014. Each of the nation’s service branches will be represented, with 23 competitors coming from the Air Force; 35 from the Army; 18 from the Navy; 22 from the Marines; and 17 from Special Operations Command.
“Representing the United States in the 2016 Invictus Games in an honor, and all my teammates and I are training hard to do our best in May,” said Captain Reynolds. “I am looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones from around the world, brought together by the power, camaraderie and the healing power of sport.”
Captain Reynolds lost his leg after an improvised explosive devise detonated in Iraq. He underwent 26 surgeries as doctors tried to save his left leg but they ended up amputating his left leg at the knee. During the 2014 Invictus Games in London, Captain Reynolds won four bronze medals in men’s classified 100-meter and 200-meter athletics sprints, the Road Race and the Time Trial in cycling. Originally from Pittsford, NY, Captain Reynolds and his wife and four children now reside in Bethesda, MD.
“Adaptive sports brings you into a group of others who may not have your same injury but who can relate. It brings the mind and body together with the setting of goals and can also rekindle the fire inside,” said SFC Taylor.
SFC Taylor suffered a gunshot wound to his left shoulder while deployed in Iraq. He joined the Marine Corps when he was 18 years-old and served for 8 years. He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from 2001-2002 and also deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. SFC Taylor left the Marine Corps in December 2005 and joined the Army that same month. SFC Taylor graduated the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2009 and was assigned to as a Special Forces Medical Sergeant that specialized in mountain warfare, in 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne). SFC Taylor is from Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Fans, be sure to check out the full U.S. team roster at https://invictusgames2016.info/countries/united-states/ and keep heading back to the 2016 Invictus Games website for more news, video and photos of all the Invictus competitors.
Media can arrange interviews with Captain Reynolds, co-captain Taylor and other members of the U.S. team by e-mailing dronayne@invictusgames2016.org.
About the 2016 Invictus Games
Presented by Jaguar Land Rover, the Invictus Games are the only international adaptive sporting event for injured active duty and veteran service members. The Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of all those who serve their country as well as their families and caregivers. More than 500 competitors from 15 nations will compete in archery, cycling, indoor rowing, power lifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis. Fans can sign up for ticket information by visiting https://invictusgames2016.info/tickets/ and filling out a brief form.
Contact:
Dan Ronayne
dronayne@invictusgames2016.org
www.invictusgames2016.org
