A Festival Honoring the Rehabilitation and Heroic Spirit of Wounded Soldiers Worldwide
Daejeon, San Diego, and Aalborg Officially Announced as the Three Final Candidate Cities
Daejeon City has been selected as a final candidate city to host the "Invictus Games 2029," a festival honoring the rehabilitation and heroic spirit of wounded soldiers around the world.
The Invictus Games Foundation (IGF) in the United Kingdom officially announced at 5 a.m. on December 18, 2025 (Korea Standard Time) that a total of three cities-Daejeon in South Korea, San Diego in the United States, and Aalborg in Denmark-have been named as the final candidate cities to host the event.
Previously, in June 2025, Daejeon City passed the first round of selection by the Invictus Games Foundation in the UK, making it one of the six initial candidate cities. From July to November, Daejeon successfully submitted additional materials and completed a rigorous second round of evaluation, thereby demonstrating its strong hosting capabilities to the international community.
The Invictus Games is an event founded in 2014 by Prince Harry of the United Kingdom, aiming to support the physical and mental recovery of veterans who were injured in service to their country and to honor their sacrifices.
In particular, South Korea’s historical experience of transforming the wounds of the Korean War into a driving force for national development deeply resonates with the Invictus spirit of turning adversity into strength, making this especially meaningful.
The Invictus Games Foundation explained that Daejeon was selected as a final candidate city because it presented a clear vision centered on the historic significance of hosting the first Invictus Games in Asia. The city also demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting the rehabilitation needs of domestic wounded veterans after the event and to establishing a sustainable Invictus value system that can promote the spread of the Invictus movement throughout Asia.
The foundation also noted, "By utilizing existing infrastructure and operating venues in close proximity, Daejeon has effectively demonstrated its ability to achieve both innovation and regional scalability."
Furthermore, Daejeon is recognized as a well-prepared city with stable event management capabilities, based on its extensive experience hosting various international events, as well as its complete sports infrastructure, accommodations, transportation, and convention facilities, making it an ideal candidate to host the event.
The bid to host the "Invictus Games 2029" is a national initiative that has been jointly promoted by Daejeon City, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, and the Korea Disabled Veterans Organization, forming a strong triangular partnership.
In the upcoming bid application and final presentation, the ideal implementation system-jointly involving the central government, local government, and the Korea Disabled Veterans Organization-will be highlighted, along with South Korea’s strong nationwide determination to honor the spirit of the Invictus Games.
The three final candidate cities announced this time will compete according to the schedule set by the Invictus Games Foundation, including on-site inspections and bid application submissions. The final presentation, which is the key step in announcing the host city, is scheduled to take place around June 2026.
Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon, stated, "The Invictus Games is not just a sports event; it is a golden opportunity to contribute to the international community and to promote a culture of honoring veterans. Being selected as a final candidate city is recognition that Daejeon can best embody the Invictus spirit, which goes beyond rehabilitation to restoring the lives of wounded soldiers."
He added, "We will continue to work together with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Korea Disabled Veterans Organization, focusing all our efforts to ensure Daejeon is ultimately chosen as the host city."
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