U.S. Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee, has announced that the 2014 Warrior Games presented by Deloitte will take place September 28 - October 4 utilizing venues at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The competition for wounded, injured and ill service members and veterans was created in 2010 by the USOC, in partnership with the Department of Defense and United Service Organizations (USO), to create competitive sports opportunities for injured service members and to enhance awareness about the impact and need to create sustainable physical activity programs for thousands of injured members of the Armed Forces at the community level.
“The USOC is incredibly humbled to have played a small role in providing our nation’s heroes with competitive sports opportunities through the Warrior Games, and more importantly, by significantly enhancing the availability of sports programming for injured service members and veterans with physical disabilities throughout the country,” said Charlie Huebner, USOC Chief of Paralympics. “These programs could not have been accomplished without the generous support of private sector sponsorships with Deloitte, AT&T, BP, Semper Fi Fund, The Fisher House Foundation, The Daniels Fund and USO, along with outstanding commitment from the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Air Force Academy and local community and military leaders.”
The competition has become a springboard for many service members and veterans to continue participating in sports programs in their communities after the event, with many having gone on to compete at the national and international levels.
Two-hundred service members and veterans are expected to compete in seven sports (archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track & field and wheelchair basketball) over six days in 2014. Five teams representing the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Special Operations Command will select their own rosters; each team will be comprised of 40 athletes.
To date, the Marine Corps team has won the Commander’s Cup, the award given to the team that earns the highest overall points in competition, for four years running.
The 2014 competition will also feature the Ultimate Champion, an individual competition comprised of five events.
“Rehabilitative sports activities like the Warrior Games provide the participating athletes an opportunity to heal and recover together,” said General Charles F. Wald (USAF Ret.), Director, Deloitte Services LP and senior advisor to Deloitte’s Department of Defense sector. “Our troops have made great sacrifices in defending our nation. Now as they transition back to civilian life it is our duty and our honor to support them.”
All Warrior Games competitions will be free and open to the public. Additional details will be provided in the coming months on the U.S. Paralympics website, USParalympics.org and the Warrior Games Facebook page.
For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, U.S. Paralympics, at 719-866-2039 or beth.bourgeois@usoc.org.
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