With less than seven weeks left until the 2017 Invictus Games kick off in Toronto, the Invictus Spirit Flame was lit Wednesday at a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The torch was lit at the Afghan presidential palace, and passed from Afghan veteran Maj. Ahmad Shah to Canadian veteran Jody Mitic, the official ambassador of the 2017 Invictus Games.
“It makes sense that the Invictus Spirit Flame would be lit in Kabul,” Mitic said in a news release. “After all, this is where the lives of so many Canadian soldiers changed dramatically.”
Wednesday’s ceremony was attended by Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani, Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan Kenneth Neufeld and Invictus Games CEO Michael Burns, among other dignitaries.
Founded by Prince Harry in 2014, the Invictus Games is the only international sporting competition honouring wounded military personnel and veterans. More than 550 competitors from 17 countries will participate in Toronto, starting Sept. 23.
