The United Kingdom’s Prince Harry helped found the Invictus Games in 2014 as a way to pay tribute to the sacrifices made by the wounded and disabled veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, and to make an example of their courage and determination. For the 2017 iteration of the Games an invitation was extended to Ukraine for the first time. The Ukrainian team of fifteen – plus eleven alternates – joined 550 athletes from 16 other nations for the third convocation of the Games, which were held in Toronto. While Ukraine – like all the invited nations – did take part in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, most of its team members were wounded in the ongoing war with Russia in eastern Ukraine.
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People pose for a picture with Ukraine's Invictus Games team members as they arrive in Boryspil airport from Toronto Canada on Oct. 2. 2017
