Invictus Winter Games 2025: Veterans Competing at New Heights
In February 2025, the inaugural Invictus Winter Games will unfold. On January 29, veteran Yevhen Kaus was introduced at the Accessibility Council, representing the National Team in Vancouver.
Yevhen Kaus — a certified coach in adaptive rowing, affiliated with the «Federation of Marine Multisports of Ukraine» in the Odesa region.
During the full-scale war, Yevhen suffered a mine-explosion injury, resulting in the loss of both legs. At the Games in Vancouver, he will compete in curling, biathlon, and skeleton.
The Ukrainian team from the Odesa region also includes:
- Oleksiy Vasylyev, a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, veteran, who was injured in March 2023 during combat in Bakhmut;
- Illya Pylypenko, a sailor of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, veteran, injured in September 2022 near Bilohirka due to a tank mine explosion;
- Oleksiy Prytula, a senior soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, veteran, injured in September 2022 in the vicinity of Yampolivka.
The Invictus Games represent the largest international event for service members who have sustained injuries while fulfilling their duties.
Ukraine's participation in the 2025 Games will mark its fifth appearance. The Vancouver-Whistler 2025 Games will be historic as the first winter hybrid Games.
Veterans will participate in swimming, adaptive rowing, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair rugby, including new winter sports: alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, cross-country skiing, skeleton, and wheelchair curling.
