A Londra oltre 300 veterani, resi disabili per le ferite riportate nel corso del loro servizio su diversi fronti di guerra negli ultimi si sono confrontati in diverse discipline sportive, tra il 10 e il 14 settembre 2014 negli "Invictus Games".
Un'iniziativa lodevole ed encomiabile che ha visto confrontarsi sportivi didiverse discipline e provenienti da tutti gli stati del mondo che sono stati presenti con le loro forze armate in diversi teatri di guerra "per garantire la pace".
Unico punto a sfavore della manifestazione è stata l'accento posto sulla condizione degli atleti come "warriors", reduci da azioni dmilitari che in realtà sono state di "guerra", benché l'ipocrisia della Politica internazionale continui a sostenere che si tratta di operazioni di pace e di garanzia della democrazia in paesi lontani.
Sarebbe stato ben più significativo se a parteipare gli Invictus games fossero stati presenti anche rappresentanti disabili dei popoli a cui gli eserciti occidentali hanno portato la "pace": e, quindi, Afgani, Iracheni e quant'altro. Il loro obiettivo é quello di celebrare il coraggio e la forza di quanti feriti e resi disabili dalle vicissitudini del loro servizio sono riusciti a risollevarsi di nuovo, attraverso la pratica sportiva.
About the invictus Games. The Invictus Games are about survival in the face of adversity and the strength of the human spirit. They will send a positive message about life beyond disability.
Over 400 competitors from 13 nations will take part in the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick Servicemen and women. Teams will come from the armed forces of nations that have served alongside each other. The Games will use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation, and generate a wider understanding and respect of those who serve their country.
The event, which is championed by Prince Harry, will be a celebration of resilience and passion. The Games will shine a spotlight on Armed Forces personnel and veterans who have put their lives on the line for their country demonstrating how they and their families are valued, respected and supported. For competitors, it will offer a memorable, inspiring and energising experience in their journey of recovery.
Generations have drawn on the words of William Ernest Henley’s poem for strength during times of adversity. Henley was himself an amputee and the poem reflects his long battle with illness. The title means “unconquerable” and these 16 short lines encapsulate the indefatigable human spirit, which is at the heart of the Invictus Games.
Finding the courage and the strength to rise again. The word ‘Invictus’ means ‘unconquered’. It embodies the fighting spirit of the wounded, injured and sick service personnel and what these tenacious men and women can achieve, post injury. The Invictus Games will celebrate this through sporting achievement that recognises the journey to recovery these men and women are on.
Prince Harry was driven to bring the event to an international audience following his inspirational visit to the Warrior Games in Colorado in 2013. The event in London will bring together for the first time servicemen and women – both serving and veteran – from 14 nations. The Invictus Games will spotlight the sacrifices these men and women made serving their country, and their indefatigable drive to overcome.
"INVICTUS" - a poem by William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
(William Ernest Henley)