KB News Desk
Winning city expected to be announced later this month
South Korea is awaiting the result of its bid to host the 2029 Invictus Games, a move that officials here say could help expand support for wounded service members and bring the international sporting event to Asia for the first time.
Daejeon is competing against Aalborg in Denmark and San Diego to host the international sporting competition founded by Britain’s Prince Harry for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans.
The Invictus Games Foundation has said the winning city will be announced later this summer, fueling expectations in South Korea that the decision could come later this month.
South Korea joined the Invictus community in 2020 as its 20th participating nation and made its competitive debut at The Hague Games in 2022, after the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moon Hyun-kyu, head of rehabilitation sports at the Korean Disabled Veterans Organization, has been closely involved in the country’s participation and the hosting bid.
Moon was among the speakers representing South Korea during the final bid presentation in London in June. He also delivered a presentation when an Invictus Games Foundation inspection team visited Daejeon in February to assess proposed venues and preparations.
Moon said the effort began with a desire to create greater opportunities for wounded veterans in South Korea, where rehabilitation sports have remained relatively limited.
“We wanted to train wounded veterans in Korea and help them compete internationally, but I felt the field here was too limited and that we needed to broaden their opportunities,” Moon said.
“So in 2017, before South Korea became a participating nation, I traveled to the Games in Toronto and met foundation officials to discuss the possibility of South Korea joining.”
South Korea was approved to join the Invictus community in 2019 and was due to make its debut at the 2020 Games in The Hague, Netherlands. The event was postponed twice because of the COVID-19 pandemic, delaying the country’s first appearance until 2022.
What began as an effort to secure opportunities for wounded Korean veterans has since developed into a government-backed bid to host the Games.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, which is leading the bid alongside Daejeon and the veterans organization, said hosting the event could help shift veterans policy beyond compensation and ceremonial recognition toward rehabilitation, recovery and the return of injured personnel to society.
The ministry also highlighted Daejeon’s concentration of veterans as well as medical and research infrastructure, including Daejeon National Cemetery, a veterans hospital and the Daedeok research complex.
As part of its bid, South Korea has also proposed introducing laser shooting, park golf and esports as new events, reflecting its aim to broaden participation among athletes with different disabilities and physical conditions.
Daejeon has placed an emphasis on the diplomatic and historical meaning of the bid.
The city has proposed expanding the list of invited nations to include the 22 countries that supported South Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War, saying the plan would carry forward the wartime values of sacrifice and international solidarity into a modern network supporting wounded service members and veterans.
Should Daejeon win the bid, it would become the first Asian city to host the Invictus Games, which were first held in London in 2014.
