There are now 14 countries competing in 500 events held during the four-day Games, which features sports including swimming, track and field, archery, power-lifting, cycling, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby.
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The Invictus Games will begin in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday, with an opening ceremony attended by Prince Harry, Michelle Obama, Morgan Freeman and James Blunt.
“I’ve spoken to everybody who has severe PTSD to minor depression, anxiety – whatever it might be”, continued the 31-year-old royal.
Harry, who started the Games two years ago in London, paid tribute to the courage of the athletes, who paraded through an interactive 3-D cube decorated in their country’s colours to warm applause.
The event took place just before the official opening of the global Invictus Games for wounded warriors, which is taking place this week at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports.
The Prince was asked how he got the Queen involved in the video in which he and his grandmother respond to US President Barack Obama and the First Lady’s challenge about the Invictus Games.
“I was honoured to meet with the passionate competitors to hear more about their own individual journey to Invictus Games”.
Prince Harry – who walked away from his military career a year ago – shared: “I don’t get any satisfaction from sitting at home on my a**e – and that’s a part of the body by the way, not a swear word”.
Harry’s comments came in a public discussion with former USA president George W Bush and veterans about the “invisible” wounds, like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), those returning from combat operations can suffer.
Del Toro was injured while serving in Afghanistan.
During the ceremony, Team USA Captain Will Reynolds talked of how he brought the Invictus flag to the States.
Choirmaster Gareth Malone led a performance of a group made up of injured United Kingdom and USA veterans who sang the song Flesh and Blood.
“Together they have written this song describing their experiences from injury through recovery to hope for the future”.
“We are all grateful to Prince Harry for founding and championing this visionary idea of the Games”.
“What you see is what you get with me”, he said.
Speaking of the kind of life most people take for granted Harry says: “When people finish work in the City or wherever work is, if you want to have a bit of down time, you might go to the pub with your mates”.
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“Part of the reason why we’re so thrilled Invictus Games enabled us to join them is because this will give us a platform to say to vets “it’s ok to seek help”.
