South Korea Submits Bid to Host 2029 Games in Daejeon
South Korea won 1 gold medal, 1 silver medal, and 3 bronze medals at the '2025 Canada Invictus Games (7th World Warrior Athlete Games)'. The 2025 Canada Invictus Games, which opened on the 8th (local time) at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, took place over nine days from the 8th to the 16th, moving between Vancouver and Whistler.
This year’s event featured about 550 wounded veterans from 23 countries including South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Ukraine. They competed in 11 sports: skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, biathlon, skeleton, wheelchair curling, swimming, indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair rugby.
The South Korean team fielded 11 athletes across seven sports: wheelchair curling, skeleton, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, sitting volleyball, and indoor rowing. Starting with the gold medal won in wheelchair curling at the Hillcrest Centre in Vancouver on the 9th, the Korean team secured 1 silver and 2 bronze medals in skeleton and alpine skiing (sitting) events held in Whistler on the 11th and 12th.
However, the Korean team struggled in swimming and sitting volleyball afterward. At the swimming events held on the 14th at the University of British Columbia (UBC) pool, swimmers Lee Hwang-kyung and Na Hyung-yoon, who were expected to medal, competed in multiple events, leading to fatigue and finishing 4th in the anticipated 50m backstroke. The next day, at the Vancouver Convention Centre, the Korean sitting volleyball team was unable to overcome the height advantage of European players and lost both preliminary league matches, resulting in elimination from the preliminaries.
On the final day of the competition, the 16th, at the Vancouver Convention Centre, the indoor rowing event took place. Kim Young-min earned a bronze medal by finishing 3rd in the men's 4-minute endurance category. The Korean team concluded the Games by attending the closing ceremony held that afternoon at Rogers Arena.
At the closing ceremony, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, "The Invictus Games are not just a competition but a very special event where all participants inspire each other," adding, "Through this event, we send a message of gratitude and encouragement in solidarity with all wounded veterans worldwide." Prince Harry of the United Kingdom also expressed, "Thanks to Canada and all participants for successfully hosting the Invictus Games," emphasizing, "The Invictus Games will continue, and through them, we will help each other and provide hope."
After the Games, South Korean team captain Kim Han-gi said, "Our athletes carried on the noble spirit of patriotism inherited from the heroic souls and martyrs who sacrificed for our country. Despite physical challenges, they did their best for South Korea," and added, "I also want to thank the officials and athletes of the Disabled Veterans Association, the executives and staff who supported the players, and their families for their generous support and encouragement."
Meanwhile, during the Invictus Games, South Korea submitted a letter of intent to the Invictus Games Foundation (IGF) to host the 2029 Games in Daejeon Metropolitan City.
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