The first-ever Invictus Winter Games will take place in February 2025. On January 29, veteran Yevhen Kaus was presented at the Barrier-Free Council, representing the National Team in Vancouver.
Yevhen Kaus — a certified trainer in yachting, affiliated with the «Ukrainian Marine Multi-Sport Federation» in the Odesa region.
During the full-scale war, Yevhen sustained a mine-explosive injury, resulting in the loss of both legs. At the Vancouver Games, he will compete in curling, biathlon, and skeleton.
The Ukrainian team from the Odesa region also includes:
- Olexiy Vasylyev, a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, injured in March 2023 during combat missions in Bakhmut;
- Illya Pylypenko, a sailor of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, injured in September 2022 near Bilohirka, Kherson region, due to a tank mine explosion;
- Olexiy Prytula, a senior soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, injured in September 2022 in the Yampolivka area.
The Invictus Games are the largest international event for veterans and service members who have sustained injuries while on duty.
Participation in 2025 will mark the fifth for our country, with the Vancouver-Whistler 2025 Games being the first-ever hybrid winter games in history.
Veterans will compete in swimming, rowing on machines, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair rugby, alongside new winter sports: alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, cross-country skiing, skeleton, and wheelchair curling.
