South Australia’s Invictus Games athletes will climb high above Adelaide Oval with the Premier of South Australia Steven Marshall to unfurl the Invictus Games flag on Tuesday 9 October at 9.00am.
And they are making their message clear to Prince Harry via the iconic Adelaide Oval scoreboard: Game on Harry!
Joining the Premier and the eight (8) Invictus athletes on RoofClimb will be:
Stephanie Morton OAM – Australian Olympian and Commonwealth Games cyclist and Ambassador – The Road Home.
Brigadier Phil Winter AM CSC – Director General Invictus Games
Geoff Stokes – Head Coach Invictus Games
It’s bound to be a great day for their coach former Invictus Games 2016 cycling participant Mark Reidy who now trains the South Australian group as part the Invictus Pathways Program collaboration between UniSA and leading veterans and emergency service charity The Road Home.
“Competing in the Invictus Games was an incredible, life-changing opportunity and I can’t wait to see this great group of athletes compete in a couple of weeks.
“They’ve come so far in their journey and faced many battles so to see them unfurl the flag on top of Adelaide Oval is symbolic of the mountains that they have had to climb and the struggles that they have faced over the years.
“I couldn’t be prouder,” said Mark.
The Invictus Games will be held in Sydney from 20 – 27 October.
About the Invictus Pathways Program
The Invictus Pathways Program is a unique collaboration between The Road Home’s peer support program and the tertiary health and science department at the University of South Australia (UniSA).
It is the first of its type in Australia and is specifically designed to provide the support and tailored facilities needed for veterans who are aspiring to compete in the Invictus Games. It includes baseline and physiological testing and profiling.
The Invictus Pathways Program provides struggling veterans with something to work towards and a purpose to give them direction, aid their mental health and encourage them to be active and participate within society.
In addition to the program, a three-year PhD scholarship, supported by The Road Home, is evaluating the long-term effect that programs such as the Invictus Games has of returned veteran wellbeing, with the aim of aiding their recovery.
This research intends to inform the development of more health and wellbeing models and programs to ensure injured veterans and their families get the care they need to improve their wellbeing.
