The Invictus Games: Reflections from a medical volunteer

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 67, No. 3, April 2025, Page 88 Letters
By: Eric M. Yoshida, OBC, MD, MHSc, FRCPC

The Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 concluded on 16 February 2025. It is the seventh time the Invictus Games have been held and the first time they have included winter sports. The games are a multisport event for wounded, injured, or sick (WIS) military veterans from Canada and its allies, attracting over 500 competitors from 23 nations. The term WIS is used by the Invictus Games Foundation.

The event would not have been possible without volunteers, and, as with all major sporting events, there was a well-organized medical team with outstanding leadership and excellent pregame training. It was an honor for me to work with all the physicians, surgeons, physiotherapists, registered massage therapists, nurses, chiropractors, and pharmacists. The dedication of the medical volunteers was exceptional; some had traveled at their own expense from other provinces and from overseas. Their motivation was obvious: to show appreciation to those who knowingly placed themselves in harm’s way to defend the democratic freedoms we benefit from and had suffered as a result. My motivation originated after a visit to Omaha Beach and Juno Beach, two sites of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, on 6 June 1944.

As part of our uniforms, we were provided distinctive yellow coats that identified us as being with the games. When I was coming home on the SkyTrain late one night after a shift, a well-dressed, articulate young man attempted to engage me in debate. He stated that Canadians did not believe in war and should not support efforts to promote war. He was persistent, although I did not feel threatened and chose not to respond. The encounter made me sad more than anything else, as I suspect that soldiers despise the effects of war, just as health care providers hate disease. As health care workers, we treat the sick and injured; that is our mission. Similarly, military folks also have a mission, only carrying out their duties may result in their own disability or death.

With it being the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II this year, it is time to be appreciative for the society we have the privilege to live in. Had the Axis powers won that war, the young man would not have been allowed to voice his opinions in public. To all our veterans, past and present, thank you for your service.
—Eric M. Yoshida, OBC, MD, FRCPC
Professor of Medicine, UBC

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Eric M. Yoshida, OBC, MD, MHSc, FRCPC. The Invictus Games: Reflections from a medical volunteer. BCMJ, Vol. 67, No. 3, April, 2025, Page(s) 88 - Letters.


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