READY TO LAUNCH
Opening ceremony to include Sarah McLachlan, the Tenors and Brampton’s Alessia Cara
Alessia Cara among top Canadian talent who will kick off Invictus Games in September,
A lineup of Canadian talent will kick off the Invictus Games in Toronto this September, including Brampton pop star Alessia Cara.
Sarah McLachlan, the Tenors and Quebec band La Bottine Souriante will also perform at the opening ceremony on Sept. 23.
Founded by Prince Harry, the Invictus Games is an international sporting event for wounded, injured or sick service people and veterans.
At the ticket launch Thursday, Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr announced that the federal government is spending up to $17.5 million on the games. The Ontario government is chipping in $10 million, MPP Christina Martins said.
“Reaching veterans after their military service, you have to give them opportunities to build their life,” Hehr said. “You will see this money put to great use.”
Tickets for the opening ceremonies start at $60, and sporting event tickets are $25.
There are also several free events, including wheelchair tennis in Nathan Phillips Square, cycling on Toronto Island and a driving challenge in the Distillery District.
CEO Michael Burns said the games will only be using existing facilities in the city.
“We’re not spending a dime on renovations or upgrades or new builds,” he said.
Maj. Simon Mailloux, co-captain of Team Canada, is passionate about the games. In 2007, he lost his left leg in Afghanistan when a bomb exploded under his vehicle. But two years later, he was back on his feet and redeployed to Afghanistan with a specialized prosthetic leg.
“That explosive didn’t destroy me. It made me stronger,” he said.
Mailloux will be competing in the 200- and 400-metre track events, as well as with the sitting volleyball team. He said the games are a great way to help injured service people.
“Combat-ready troops . . . if they get injured, it’s a shock. They used to be this tip of the spear person, and suddenly they’re a patient in a hospital,” Mailloux said, adding people can sometimes think of themselves as a failure.
“The power of sport is that we can adapt anything to anybody . . . Whatever your injury is, mental or physical, we can adapt it so the sport can give you the sense of being on the edge again.”
There are 550 people from 17 countries set to compete in Toronto this year, including a team of 90 from Canada.
The event runs Sept. 23-30.