Prince Harry: Sports can ‘literally’ save people’s lives, sport has a ‘healing ability’

There are some great quotes coming out of Prince Harry’s appearance at the International Sports Promotion Society Summit in Tokyo. Harry speaks like a man who has seen first-hand the transformative power of sport, and that’s because he has seen it through the Invictus Games. His legacy grows and grows.

Prince Harry lauded the virtue of sports and its healing powers on Wednesday as he kicked off a trip to promote sports in Tokyo, the first stop on his tour of Asia. Sports not only helps build up physical strength but can also help heal the body and mind, the Duke of Sussex said as he spoke at an event hosted by the International Sports Promotion Society, an organization based in the Japanese capital.

He said he has seen sports save people from “rock bottom” of their life. By creating a platform and helping people focus on redefining themselves, “that’s when I see sports really coming to itself.”

“I have seen sports literally save their life,” Prince Harry said. “The physical piece to sports is the obviously the most important. But the mental aspect and healing ability is extraordinary.”

He also stressed that sports has special value for children that can be taught only on a field, not in a classroom. “It brings people together — all sizes, backgrounds, beliefs or religions.”

Prince Harry also met the Stellenbosch University Choir, the oldest choir in South Africa. In a video shared by the university on social media, Harry told them to keep spreading the love. He also showed off his sense of humor. When a man off-camera said, “For such an icon, so humble,” Harry quickly retorted, “Well, you are fabulous” — drawing laughs from the choir! The two men then shared a hug.

“I’ll put that on my resumé,” the man said.

Prince Harry then asked if they could do a group hug, ending with Harry leading them in a countdown to shout in unison, “South Africa!”

[From AP News & People]

I’m including the Stellenbosch choir tweet below – Harry is so lovely and charismatic, just like his mother. He’s just a warm person. Instead of protecting, nurturing and rewarding his charisma, his family was threatened by it.

Photos courtesy of Instar.

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37 Responses to “Prince Harry: Sports can ‘literally’ save people’s lives, sport has a ‘healing ability’”

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  1. His mother was right good king Harry. His useless family can’t compete with him and they don’t even try they just 💩 on him every opportunity that they get. Harry is just a wonderful human.

    • Patricia says:

      I firmly believe, @Susan Collins, that he is so much like Diana in so many ways that it terrifies the BRF. I believe this is the root of Charles’ hatred of him, and he does hate him. Such warmth, kindness, humor and love cannot be faked. He really is Good King Harry!

      Sorry, William, you just don’t get it.

      • Brassy Rebel says:

        Every time they look at Harry, they see Diana. Must be hard on them to constantly be reminded of her charm, character, and charisma.

      • Kingston says:

        @Patricia

        I was re-listening (for the eleventy-ninth time 🙂 as H read Spare. This was Section 2….his growing-up years: returning to Ludgrove with everyone behaving as if his world hadnt just been upended forever; being lonely; wanting to hurt himself physically to equal the hurt he was feeling mentally/psychologically; realizing but not quite believing/understanding how much his brother envied him; etc.

        Its in this section that we realize how much H loves his father. Its almost heartbreaking to listen as he expresses his love for his father several diff times. And it makes me wonder, even now, if H has come to terms with what the rest of us believe: that chuckyDaTURD knows NOTHING about love: not how to give it and not how to receive it.

        However, I disagree with you, @Patricia, that chucky “hates” H. But I do believe chucky is monumentally jealous of H and how well his life has turned out and the obvious love he shares with his wife and children. And the world.

      • Patricia says:

        @Kingston I certainly agree with many of your posts and I agree with the fact that Harry loves his father (yes,
        I have read Spare several times,) and as I think back over my reading, I am puzzled how a father could treat a son with such unkindness, cold heartedness if not outright cruelty. Love is a strange concept within families so I look at my term “hate” as the opposite of “love.”

        Actually, hate is simply based in “fear” and was, perhaps, an overstatement but “fear” is not, and I will always believe that Charles and the royal family fear who Harry is, why he is so popular if not beloved and what they believe he might eventually accomplish.

        Which is proof positive is that none of them really know, understand or value Harry … and Meghan. It’s the Diana Chronicles all over again. Uncomfortably close to a Greek tragedy for the royals. Those who don’t learn from history are bound to repeat it.

    • Mary Pester says:

      @susanCollins, christ Susan, it makes you realise just how much this toxic Royal family and country lost.

    • Moxylady says:

      “Well you are fabulous” 💀💀💀

  2. Emme says:

    *sigh* What’s not to love about Harry? Warm, funny, charismatic, empathetic, gentle and genuine. ❤️❤️❤️

  3. Feeshalori says:

    You can’t buy such warmth, charisma and charm for all the crowns, titles and money in the world. Let his despicable family and the haters continue to gnash their teeth while Harry keeps living his life.

  4. Helena says:

    Would love to see a post on the hypocrisy of Jezebel suddenly acknowledging Megyn Kelly’s hatred of H&M when the website has had a weird anti-Sussex bias for years now.

  5. Jais says:

    The video with the choir is so freaking sweet and cute.

  6. Beverley says:

    What a lovely person! Good vibes follow him because he radiates good vibes.

  7. Inge says:

    The video is amazing and got me a bit teary eyed.

    It also fully shows the contrast. Harry lifts people up. Pegs puts them down to lift himself up. Good King Harry indeed, truly his mothers son!

  8. Libra says:

    Charisma; everyone wants it but only a lucky few are born with it. Can’t learn it, can’t buy it.

    • CheChe says:

      The thing about charisma is it can suck the life out of you when you’re “on” in public. After reading Spare I understand why the Sussexes are not seen as much publicly as former senior royals. The royal work life had Harry running from pillar to post while his sibling,the future king, was held in reserve. It has got to be so exhilarating to dictate your own schedule and to engage with the public in a more profound way. Harry and Meghan are role models.

  9. LaDeeDa says:

    Normally I scoff at the use of “literally”. But, in this case, I have to agree.

    Returning to swimming regularly has lifted from out of a pretty serious depression. I’m not good at much, but I am a better than average swimmer. That feeling of slipping into the water, having it surround you, feeling weightless, but also strong, clearing my mind of all thoughts, and the adrenaline of completing a workout or, improving my time, is an anti depressant for me. The pool and my fellow swimmers also provides a sense of community.

  10. Chelsea says:

    An Australian Navy vet who competed at the Invictus Games last year was at this event yesterday and he said “I’d like to thank Prince Harry for saving my life”. It’s incredible the amount of lives Harry has changed and i can’t imagine what it’s like for him to have so many people come up to him and thank him for saving their lives. That video of him getting choked up at the first IG when one of the competitors thanked him on behalf all of the other competitors still pulls at my heart strings every time i see it. What a good man.

  11. Southern Fried says:

    You can see he is so happy. What a wonderful world he and Meghan have created for themselves away from Britain. So well deserved.

  12. Aimee says:

    He’s got more charm in his pinkie finger nail than the entire Windsor clan combined.

  13. Nanea says:

    The Australian veteran Steve James, the tall man with them on stage at that ISPS event, credited Harry with saving his life.

    He said he had hit rock bottom after being injured, and his taking part in the Invictus Games helped him see things differently and find a new perspective.

    Take that, BM, rota 🐀🐀, Derangers and RF.

    • SarahCS says:

      This is what I remind myself of when I’m standing in the checkout line at the supermarket and there are yet more negative front pages about H&M or even the BBC is getting into the less overt bashing, there are so many people out there in the world who have benefitted from their actions and those of all the people who work alongside them.

      The British media is a strange beast and while (sadly) they still have a lot of power and influence, it’s not the real world.

  14. Mary Pester says:

    OK going to admit I couldn’t type for a minute as I was to tearful. I was thinking of my friend who as you know was in hospital in Las Vegas and Harry and invictus who helped her so much with her spinal injury. Then I remembered what JJ Chalmers said AND STILL SAYS TODAY, Harry saved his life, he met him in Afghanistan after he had been badly injured, he visited him in hospital in the UK and when he got invictus up and running, he encouraged JJ to take part, he did and in his words “has never looked back”. He now presents programmes on television and he attributes it to everything Harry has done for him and for invictus
    As a veteran myself “HARRY I SALUTE AND THANK YOU”

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      Mary Pester, I sometimes wonder what Harry thinks about what the IG has become and the incredible good it has done. Could he really envision that it would be this successful? I’m not talking about how many countries have joined and how much attention IG is now getting. I’m talking about the number of people that IG has helped and to what extent it has helped.

      • Moxylady says:

        I think that Harry probably sees it a lot like most of us would in that position.

        We would think sure, there is an event. But organizing this that’s not a hard thing. Overcoming what these athletes have had to overcome to show up here? That’s the incredible thing.

        And we would be desperate- when stories reached us of how it helped people – to make sports and training and mental health support readily available globally for everyone but especially veterans. Seeing people flourish when given the opportunity and the tools to do so …. Harry would never own that.

        I think he’s quite obviously over the moon with how many people and how far IG has reached and touched. But I truly doubt he would think the success is about him. I think he sees each individual participants hard work and is amazed and awed and humbled by it. And I think he thinks – without these amazing men and women who overcame so so much to be here, there would be no games. This isn’t about me.

  15. B says:

    Its so powerful watching Harry interact with the athletes from IG. So many of the former soldiers have such powerful stories and hearing from them and their families about how sports and IG healed them is so uplifting and moving.

    Excluding his family IG and Sentable are truly his greatest creations.

    • Kingston says:

      @B
      This is one of the reasons why I’m soooooo looking forward to M’s segment of the Closing Ceremony! Its focus will be on the FAMILIES of the vets who take part in the Games and on whom, quite rightly, all the focus is during the week of activities.

      And while the families are always thanked profusely by the Games organizers as well as the vets, for their love and support of their loved ones who are Wounded/Injured/Sick (WIS) as a result of being in the armed forces, never before have the spotlight been on the Families as it will be in this new feature of the programme, initiated by M.

      The monarchists are gonna lose their proverbial shidt!

      Because they wont be able to help themselves than to think that M is throwing shade at the RF and hence, the whole of britain.

      And the sweet part is, the points that will be made about TRUE FAMILY AND LOVE AND SUPPORT and what that looks like, will cause EVERYONE to make comparisons and draw conclusions about both H and M’s shidt families!!!!!!!!!

      I. Cant. Wait!!!!

  16. Amy Bee says:

    Didn’t the British press tell us that everybody hated Harry. He’s such a lovely guy.

  17. QuiteContrary says:

    Harry has his mother’s heart as well as her charisma. It’s difficult to care so much (I swear that’s why evil folks like Dick Cheney will live forever). But it makes for a much more meaningful life.

    • Moxylady says:

      Thank you for saying this. I’ve been going through some things and have thought “ugh! I hate caring so much! I hate that I can’t just walk away when something wrong is taking place. It would be so much easier not to care!” As I watch friends just be like oh wow that’s sad / awful and just go about their day.

  18. Well Wisher says:

    Sports allows one to focus on something other than one’s dire health circumstances, provides something to look forward and a good social setting ………
    I read that the the US Armed Forces has contributed to the upcoming Invictus Games via its Independence Fund..
    So proud of the man that Prince Harry has become..

    He is getting younger looking..

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      Well Wisher, the Independence Fund is a U.S. Veterans Service Organization and are considered for IG 2023 “an Official Supporter”. They’ve been around for more than 15 years. The IG fits their purpose, which is much like IG’s. I’m really pleased to see that they are supporting them.