If you need convincing of the life-altering influence the Invictus Games can have, take it from a Nigerian service member who visited Whistler earlier this year for his first taste of snowsports and, well, snow.
Peacemaker Azuegbulam was one of the athletes in town for last winter’s participating nations’ training camp, a prelude to the 2025 Invictus Games, which will be held in Whistler and Vancouver from Feb. 8 to 16, welcoming hundreds of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans competing in 11 sports.
Azuegbulam, who lost a leg in a firefight with terrorist group, Boko Haram, first tried out adaptive skiing. After his run down Whistler Mountain, Invictus CEO Scott Moore asked him how it went.
“This is the best day of my life,” the Nigerian beamed.
The following day, Azuegbulam tried skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre. Again, Moore asked him what he thought. “Today was the best day of my life,” Azuegbulam said.
Moore then asked him which sport he liked best. He picked skeleton, because in skiing, you need skill, but in skeleton, you need courage.
“Think about that as the mantra for these Games,” Moore said to elected officials during a presentation at the Nov. 5 council meeting. “All you need is courage to have served your nation. All you need is courage to have put your hand and say, ‘I need a little bit of help.’ All you need is courage to get to the starting line.”
As Invictus organizers approach the starting line, just three months away from the Games, they told mayor and council about how Whistler will factor into operational plans. The resort will play host to three competitive locations and four fan zones throughout the event. Whistler Mountain will host adaptive skiing and snowboarding; Whistler Olympic Park will host biathlon and cross-country skiing; and the sliding centre will host skeleton.
Olympic Plaza, Mountain Square, Village Square and the Maury Young Arts Centre will be home to the fan zones. The Squamish and Lil’wat Nations, two of four host Nations for the Games, will host cultural activities at the arts centre, which will also have arts and crafts and other family-based activities on offer. Village Square will serve as another key area, with a concert stage hosting local and Canadian musicians, soon to be announced.
Taken together, the fan zones comprise the Invictus Village, open Feb. 9 to 13 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and featuring daily concerts, live sport viewing locations, and a range of activities.
All events in Whistler, sporting or otherwise, are non-ticketed and free.
As it was for the 2010 Olympics, the legacy of the Invictus Games will last far beyond the event itself. Thanks to provincial and local grants, including $368,000 from the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, the resort will be the benefactor of new adaptive gear, including alpine and Nordic ski equipment, as well as improved accessibility at several local venues. That includes new paving at several sites, including the Whistler Sliding Centre, and the replacement of a large venue tent for Whistler Sport Legacies.
“We’re just thrilled there’s a big contribution from [the] Whistler Blackcomb [Foundation] and hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment that’s going back to the community, also from the province of B.C.,” said Invictus COO Robyn McVicker.
The Games also received $260,000 through the municipality’s Festival, Events and Animation department, funds sourced from local MRDT reserves.
Learn more at invictusgames2025.ca.
