Michelle Obama Joins Former President George W. Bush At The Invictus Games
Michelle Obama stood alongside former president George W. Bush at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games. The First Lady and George W. Bush were joined by Prince Harry, the creator of the games, as the teams entered the arena carrying their national flags. Prince Harry, a retired member of the British Army, created the games to honor wounded, injured, and sick armed services personnel as they take part in paralympic-style sporting events such as wheelchair basketball.
The Daily Mail reports that First Lady Michelle Obama joined former president George W. Bush at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games held in Orlando, Florida. The pair were seen standing next to Prince Harry as the military teams from 15 different countries entered the stadium to mark the beginning of the 2016 games. Both Michelle Obama and George W. Bush have been active figures in the Invictus Games alongside Prince Harry since its founding in 2014.
The games were created by Prince Harry as a means to recognize the achievements of military members suffering from both the physical and emotional scars of battle. Prince Harry wanted to find a way to honor these men and women without focusing on sympathy. Prince Harry was in the United States at the 2013 Warrior Games when he saw first-hand the power that sports could play in helping soldiers overcome these physical and mental wounds. He was set on creating an international paralympic-style version of the Warrior Games and came up with the idea for the Invictus Games. The first games were held in London with nearly 300 competitors from 14 countries.
The 2016 Invictus Games features approximately 500 competitors from 15 countries. The countries represented include Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
While the games focus on fun competition between military members from across the globe, it is also focused on the power of sports to help unite and heal those wounded in battle. The games not only focus on those physically wounded by war but also those that come back with the invisible scars. For the 2016 Invictus Games, the George W. Bush Institute will conduct an international symposium to discuss solutions that are aimed at helping servicemen and women transition back into civilian life namely the issues of invisible wounds (Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injuries) facing warriors today.
George W. Bush was named the honorary chair for this year’s games with Prince Harry giving the opening ceremony address discussing the importance of the games.
“George Bush Institute aims to form an impactful partnership that will raise awareness of the challenges facing those suffering from the invisible wounds of war, increase initiatives to improve their physical, mental, and spiritual recovery, and complement existing efforts in these areas.”
Michelle Obama also has a history with the Invictus Games, working alongside Prince Harry at the 2014 and 2016 games to bring awareness to the cause as a whole. This year’s games began with innocent banter between President Barack Obama and Prince Harry. A video promoting the games featured President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama telling Prince Harry that they were going to “bring it” at this year’s Invictus Games, but Prince Harry responded with a mic drop as Queen Elizabeth responded with a simple, “oh really? please.”
The Invictus Games have proven to be a unifying event for military service members from across the globe with Michelle Obama, Prince Harry, and George W. Bush working to ensure the 2016 Invictus Games are a success.
[Image by Andrew Harnik/AP Photo]
