Prince Harry Meets Ukrainian Team that Won 16 Medals at Invictus Games 2025 in Canada
In Vancouver, Canada, at the Invictus Games 2025, Harry, the Duke of Sussex, together with his wife Meghan Markle, met with the Ukrainian team that won 16 medals in winter sports. Prince Harry personally watched the competitions, talked to the veterans, and awarded medals to the Ukrainian representatives.
Harry and Meghan not only talked to the Ukrainian military, veterans and their families, but also took a photo in front of flags with the slogans Free Azov and Free Azovstal Defenders. In return, they received handmade yellow and blue angels.
‘There are Azov fighters in our national team. There are those who have been captured. Of course, the team and their relatives use every meeting and every international event as an opportunity to make the most important appeal - the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war,’ wrote Margarita Nikitenko, the Ukrainian team's communications officer.
In the Nordic Cross Country Mens Novice INO1, Sit Ski competition, Ukrainian veteran Viktor Dykyi from Kharkiv region won a silver medal in an emotional finish. After losing both legs in combat, Viktor chose adaptive sports as a way to recover. In an interview with Ukraine Crisis, he said: ‘I love life.’ His unwavering positivity was fully evident in today's race.
In total, Ukrainians climbed to the podium in all five winter sports. The hybrid format of the Invictus Games 2025 means a combination of summer and winter programmes. All winter sports (except for wheelchair curling) took place in Whistler, the venue of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Participants competed in alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, biathlon and skeleton. Ukraine was represented in all sports and won medals in all of them.
Ukrainian participants of the Invictus Games won 16 awards - six gold, five silver and five bronze. In particular, five in biathlon and cross-country skiing, three in alpine skiing, two in snowboarding and one in skeleton.
All Ukraine's medallists in winter sports at the Invictus Games:
Biathlon: Oleg Omelchuk - gold, Ruslan Serhiychuk - gold, Ivan Lavrenyuk - silver, Oleksandr Andrienko - bronze, Artur Mylin - bronze.
Cross-country skiing: Anatoly Birko - gold, Vladimir Marchenko - gold, Yaroslav Sharky - silver, Viktor Dykyi - silver, Valery Odaynik - bronze.
Alpine skiing: Sergey Gordievich - gold, Alexey Gorb - silver, Arsen Ryaboshapko - silver.
Snowboarding: Alexander Androshchuk - gold, Igor Oliynyk - bronze.
Skeleton: Ilya Gaiduk - bronze.