Two-time Olympian and gold medalist Kaitlin Sandeno will host swimming at the 2018 Warrior Games, which will take place Friday, June 8th, at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.
The Warrior Games are similar to the Invictus Games in that they offer a venue for wounded and ill service members from the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Special Operations Command. Members of the U.K. Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force, and the Canadian Armed Forces will also compete. This year’s Games will be the debut of the Canadian Defense Forces in this competition.
10 sports besides swimming will be contested: archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track & field, wheelchair basketball, indoor rowing, powerlifting, and time trial cycling.
Concerning swimming, only a handful of events will be swum, including the 50 and 100 freestyles, the 50 backstroke, and the 50 breaststroke, as well as the 200 freestyle relay. All races will take place in a 25-yard pool.
The competition will begin at 8:00 am Mountain Time and will be held at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Cadet Gymnasium Natatorium.
The Warrior Games, which are fully titled the Department of Defense Warrior Games, kicked off on June 1st and will conclude on June 9th, and will allow approximately 300 wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans to compete. Per the Games’s website:
Teams include active-duty service members and a small number of veterans with upper-body, lower-body, and spinal cord injuries; traumatic brain injuries; visual impairment; serious illnesses; and post-traumatic stress.
The mission of the Warrior Games is to “enhance the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, ill and injured service members and expose them to adaptive sports. The Games encourage them to stay physically active when they return to their local communities, and inspire and promote opportunities for growth and achievement. Families are a significant part of an athlete’s recovery and this year promises to have the most robust family program to date.“