The Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 conclude this Sunday, and plans are already being made for the 2027 event in the United Kingdom's second-largest city: Birmingham.
The British Consulate-General in Vancouver turned to Lil’wat Nation artist Levi Nelson to craft a painting which depicts the Games’ journey from British Columbia to Birmingham. Nelson also designed the medals being awarded to Invictus competitors this week.
This artwork was informed by Nelson’s trip to Birmingham last December. It was unveiled officially during a special reception hosted by the British Consulate-General on Valentine's Day, and will remain on display for public viewing in the Vancouver Convention Centre's west lobby during the Games.
"How do you build a bridge without first seeing the other side? My visit to Birmingham was the inspiration for the painting and I feel it wholeheartedly represents the handover of the Games from Vancouver Whistler 2025 to Birmingham in 2027," said Nelson in a press release.
Tom Codrington, the United Kingdom Consul-General in Vancouver, added: "We were thrilled to work with Levi, and to team up with Air Canada to have him visit Birmingham. It was especially important to us to work with an Indigenous artist on whose lands the Games are being held. The U.K. is supportive of Canada's reconciliation journey, as befits our shared history.
"We're always looking for opportunities to demonstrate that support in practice and to create positive connections, for instance through scholarships to the U.K. for Indigenous students, helping U.K. investors to work with First Nations, and celebrating cultural connections such as through this art collaboration. The spirit of the Invictus Games is just one of the many things that bring the U.K. and Canada together. It's a journey that continues with support for our service members throughout their recovery and rehabilitation, here in Vancouver and Whistler, and then onwards to Birmingham."
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