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American Icon To Participate in Opening Ceremony
Kissimmee, FL (April 18, 2016) – The Invictus Games Orlando 2016, presented by Jaguar Land Rover and taking place from May 8-12 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort, today announced legendary actor Morgan Freeman will be participating in the Opening Ceremony May 8th.
Founded by Prince Harry and hosted in London in 2014, the Invictus Games are the only international adaptive sporting event for wounded, ill and injured military servicemen and women. Over 500 competitors from 14 nations will participate in the second Invictus Games May 8-12.
“The Invictus Games are a celebration of the human spirit and I am honored to be able to support these inspiring competitors who have embraced sport as part of their healing journey. I hope that my fellow Americans will join me in Orlando to cheer on these magnificent men and women who are truly unconquerable, as the Invictus poem says, they are the masters of their fates, they are the captains of their souls,” said Freeman.
The Opening Ceremony will include musical performances by British sensation Laura Wright and international star James Blunt and other surprise guests. The Ceremony features an unprecedented number of military performances, including the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, U.S. Army Band, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Team. In addition, the audience will hear emotional first-person narratives from injured servicemen MSgt Israel Del Toro Jr., LCpl John-James Chalmers and Louis Nethercott. The show is bound to be one of the most inspirational events Orlando has ever hosted.
From start to finish, competition at the Games will be action packed. Gold medals will be at stake every single day and competitors will be ready to dig in. The international field will be competing in 10 events: archery, cycling, indoor rowing, power lifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
The Closing Ceremony will feature musical performances by international popstar Rachel Platten, who will perform the song of the Games and her No. 1 single, “Fight Song.” In addition, best-selling country vocal group of the past decade Rascal Flatts, American sensation and former “American Idol” winner Phillip Phillips, Florida native and Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Flo Rida, “The Voice” Season 9 winner Jordan Smith and the first nationally-recognized wounded warrior band, Vetted.
Tickets for the Invictus Games can be purchased for as low as $13 at http://invictusgames2016.org/tickets/
Fans can purchase tickets to the unforgettable and one-of-a-kind Opening and Closing Ceremonies for $45 each at http://invictusgames2016.org/tickets/.
Academy Award winning actor Morgan Freeman is one of the most recognizable figures in American cinema. His works are among the most critically and commercially successful films of all time. Freeman ranks 2nd among worldwide top-grossing actors of all time, with his films having earned over $4 billion in cumulative ticket sales.
In 2005 Freeman won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in “Million Dollar Baby.” Freeman also received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for Best Supporting Actor for “Street Smart,” in 1994 for Best Actor for “The Shawshank Redemption,” and in 2010 for Best Actor for “Invictus.” He also won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his performance in “Driving Miss Daisy” in 1990.
Freeman was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards. That same year, Freeman received the 39th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2000, Freeman received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor for his distinguished acting, and was honored with the Hollywood Actor Award from the Hollywood Film Festival.
In 2010, Freeman won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his performance as Nelson Mandela in “Invictus.” In addition to his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, he also received a Golden Globe nomination and a Broadcast Critics Association nomination.
The Invictus Games Orlando 2016 Opening and Closing Ceremonies are co-presented by Jaguar Land Rover and the Walt Disney Company and are being produced by continuumLIVE and Donaldson Creative with Christopher Laue and Sara Donaldson jointly performing the roles of Executive Producer and Creative Director.
Founder of Donaldson Creative, Donaldson most recently Executive Produced the Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony in London, the Invictus Games London 2014 Ceremonies and along with Laue was Co-Chief Operating Officer of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Ceremonies. Laue, of continuumLIVE, most recently served as Executive Producer for the Lima 2019 Handover Segment at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, the Salvation Army International Congress, the Los Angeles Music Center 50th Anniversary Spectacular and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Veracruz 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games.
About Invictus Games Orlando 2016
Presented by Jaguar Land Rover, the Invictus Games are the only international adaptive sporting event for injured active duty and veteran service members. The Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of all those who serve their country as well as their families and caregivers. More than 500 competitors from 14 countries will compete in 10 adaptive sports. The Invictus Games Orlando 2016 are presented by Jaguar Land Rover. The Official Supporters are the Walt Disney Company, Fisher House Foundation, Fisher Bothers, Sage, Coca-Cola Company, Deloitte, Experience Kissimmee, Capital One, Invacare and Ottobock. Fans can buy tickets by visiting http://invictusgames2016.org/tickets/.
About The Invictus Games Symposium on Invisible Wounds
The George W. Bush Institute will conduct an international symposium at Invictus Games Orlando 2016 on May 8, to discuss solutions aimed at helping returning servicemen and women improve outcomes for their transition back to civilian life. President Bush will also serve as honorary chair for Invictus Games 2016. The Invictus Games Symposium on Invisible Wounds will convene warriors, experts and community partners to address the scale and scope of invisible wounds (Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injuries) facing warriors. With representatives from all fourteen nations participating, we will discuss barriers to care, including both stigmas and stereotypes associated with these injuries.