Too few people watched Heart of Invictus, the Netflix docuseries highlighting individual Invictus competitors. One of the stars of the series was Korean veteran Na Hyeongyoon, an amputee who trained hard for Invictus and fought to bring visibility to injured and disabled people within Korean society. One of the best parts about Na’s story was Korea’s technological advances around prosthetics, and Korean engineers and scientists working with Na to help him with various prosthetics. South Korea has been heavily invested in Invictus, and they’ve been talking about their desire to bring the games to their country for years. They bid on the 2029 games, and it was just announced today that Korea won. The 2029 games will be held in Daejeon! The first Invictus games in Asia!
Prince Harry’s Invictus Games has a new home. The international contest for wounded, injured and sick veterans and service people is heading to Korea, it was announced on Monday, July 20.
The upcoming 2029 games will be held in the city of Daejeon, marking the first time the event will have taken place in Asia. It will follow the 2027 games, which are set to take place in Birmingham, U.K. Korea beat two other shortlisted contenders, including San Diego, Calif., to be hosts, the Invictus Games Foundation announced.
Under its plans in Korea, there will be 12 sports included in the games, that are set to take place from Oct. 6-15, 2029. The event will unite around 550 competitors from 26 nations, supported by their family members and friends.
Lord Charles Allen, Chair of the Invictus Games Foundation, said that picking Daejeon was a “defining moment” for the movement.
“As the first Asian nation selected to host the Games, the Republic of Korea represents an exciting new chapter in our journey to ensure that more wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, wherever they live, can benefit from the power of sport and the strength of the Invictus community,” he said. “We were deeply impressed by Daejeon’s vision, the commitment of its partners and the ambition to create a lasting legacy that extends far beyond the closing ceremony.”
Former Invictus Games competitor, Na Hyeongyoon, said in a statement, “I have always believed that the greatest barrier is not disability itself, but the way society perceives it. Through the Invictus Games, I have seen that those perceptions can change.”
Hyeongyoon, who appeared in Harry’s Netflix series, Heart of Invictus, added, “Now, in 2029, it will be Korea’s turn to lead that change. I hope the Invictus Games in Daejeon will showcase the strength, potential, and pride of our wounded service personnel and veterans and become a turning point in transforming how our society sees them.”
It’s really cool, and I predict that South Korea will do an amazing job as the host country. While People Magazine doesn’t specify, two other cities bid on the 2029 games – San Diego (as mentioned) and Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine, like South Korea, is all-in on Invictus and they are huge supporters of all things Invictus and Prince Harry. But I understand why Kyiv didn’t win. Yes, it would have been a huge morale boost for Ukraine, but Invictus has to think about the safety of Invictus competitors and their families.
I AM Coming to the Republic of Korea!
The Invictus Games Foundation is delighted to announce that Daejeon, Republic of Korea, has been selected to host the #InvictusGames in 2029.
The Invictus Games Daejeon 2029 will be the ninth edition of the Games and the first ever to be… pic.twitter.com/uSIdAQQVoE
— Invictus Games Foundation 💛🖤 (@WeAreInvictus) July 20, 2026
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Netflix.
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- The Duke of Sussex attending the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 15 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Swimming during the 2025 Invictus Games Featuring: Prince Harry Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 14 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke of Sussex watching the sitting volleyball at Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC), at the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 15 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke of Sussex salutes during the sitting volleyball final at Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC), at the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 15 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke of Sussex during the medal presentation following the sitting volleyball final at Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC), at the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 15 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex at the Closing Ceremony of the 2025 Invictus Games at the Rogers Arena Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: Vancouver, Canada When: 16 Feb 2025 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
Proud for Invictus and the growth of these games. Incredible legacy Prince Harry is building.
I thought copenhagen was in the running, not Kyiv.
Yes, Copenhagen, Denmark was one of the three finalists. Kyiv may have bid to host the games in 2029, but it was not a finalist. I’m thrilled that South Korea was selected, but would also have been delighted if the games were going to Denmark.
This is an excellent choice. South Korea is a country that really honors their military. They’re going to be excellent hosts.
I was hoping Daejeon would win!! San Diego would be awesome too but I feel there is a lot of uncertainty right now about the future of the US so I can understand why Korea won out. Plus, I think they’ll do an amazing job.
Kyiv would have been great but I can also understand why that didn’t get the final “yes.” I’m sure they’re thinking of it for 2032 or so though.
Yay! South Korea will put on one hell of a show and bring out the stars. Mainly because every one of their male entertainers, be it actors, singers, dancers or musicians, have gone through their military service.
This is exciting. Congrats to South Korea.
I was so happy to read that Daejeon will host the next Invictus Games. Good to see the games branching out — literally, by going to another continent, and by accepting Uganda as the second participating nation in Africa.
But I am also looking forward to eventually be able to go to Ukraine as a tourist to watch IG.
Omg this is so exciting. And when BTS performs at the IG, what then? LOL, this is just my wishful thinking but it would be cool. All the members did have to do their mandatory military training. This is going to be soooo good. KP announces royal trip to South Korea in 3, 2, 1….
And didn’t some BTS singers take time off for their required military service? or was that another Kpop group? Either way, if pop stars who also served in the military perform it will be even more meaningful.
hey, @becks1 🙂 it’s all the male kpop groups! south korea still has mandatory military service for men. so it’s a constant drama if you’re a fan of a boy band. who’s going, when and for how long. i think everyone in bts has served their military time, except suga, who had a medical exemption. i hate that i know so much about this, but i had a phase 🙂
Suga served as a social service agent. Because he had a past shoulder injury he couldn’t serve as a regular combat duty soldier. So everyone in BTS fulfilled their service.
Yep, BTS had at least a 2 year hiatus bc they had to do their mandatory military service. The just came back this year. I would love to see them do some promo with Harry for IG. And perform. I just realized though is this going be another winter sports games?
Korea has mandatory service for all men so they all serve about 2 years at some point. The only exception would be Kpop stars who are not Korean. Stray kids has a few Australians, Cortis has a Canadian. But outside of that they have all been a part of it.
Sounds great, it will be lovely to see the rest of the world joining in.
Great news! They really wanted the games yo come to Korea. Happy for them
That is soooo cool!!!! Megan is def going to that.
A great choice and wonderful to see the IG expanding to other parts of the world.
This is great news. Happy for S. Korea
I cried when I saw the announcement.
I cried because in Heart Of Invictus the Korean participant talked about how people with disabilities were hidden away, the Invictus Games can really changes lives her. Wouldnt it be wonderful if the wounded soldiets could be seen as thhe heroes they are?
That!
His shame about not being “complete and normal” stuck with me. His pride in his achievements and his desire to show the people of South Korea that disabled people shouldn’t be hidden and are just as worthy as healthy people. I was happy when South Korea made their bid for the games and think it is an excellent choice.
Denmark would have been lovely, the games would have been just as good as the ones in The Netherlands. California? Yes, once the orange menace is history and people can travel without having all these crazy restrictions.
Ukraine? Too soon. First they need peace. Then it would be the best games ever, all the thousands of wounded soldiers and service personnel would come. It will be epic, and hopefully be possible soon. Tearing up just thinking about it.
Wow! this is amazing Congrats to South korea on winning the bid, lets hope kiyv will be able to hold it at some point in the future.
This is such great news! The IG in South Korea will be amazing!
I imagine that once Putin is finally defeated (please, God) Ukraine will be at the top of the list of hosts.
I’m so excited for this, congratulations to South Korea 🇰🇷.. wish they had skipped Birmingham for South Korea for the 2027 games.
Fantastic!
Interesting, but South Korea is one of the countries that does the absolute least for their handicapped. Maybe the Invictus Games will do a good job of proving this point when they have a problem getting around on public transportation. Honestly, South Korea treats their disabled people like crap.
Anywhere is good except Great Britain. Never again!
Exciting for Invictus to go to an another continent! Seems like this announcement is met with general excitement and approval. I remember feeling such a letdown when Birmingham was announced. Ordinarily, it would be wonderful for the Games to return to the original host country, especially if it had been around the tenth anniversary. However, the Windsors and the tabloids are such negative, destructive influences. How can they not see that they are disrespecting the veterans and the military?
Also, I wish some promotion could be done for Heart of Invictus. It deserves more viewers. South Korea’s story in it was one of the most powerful.
Please correct me if I’ve got this wrong, but recently I heard that many wounded service members are flown into Birmingham for medical care and recovery— so that people participating in the Invictus Games might have the opportunity to become reacquainted with some of the people and places that were central to their recovery. That gave me a very different perspective on why Birmingham might have been chosen and what being in that city might mean to some of the participating veterans and their families.
@blithe
Yes, I think we learned that during the One Year to go events and I think it was in the press release announcing Birmingham. I can see Birmingham being key to veteran’s treatment and recovery as a very important factor in their bid. It was good to hear the veterans themselves speaking about what Birmingham meant to them. The only reason for my disappointment with Birmingham as a choice is because I knew that the Windsors and the BM would disrespect the veterans and Invictus with their jealousy and negativity. But showcasing Birmingham’s importance in treatment and recovery is important and the British vets certainly deserve it. It’s the awfulness of the press for that week that a lot of us were dreading, and the royal family and the tabs certainly did not disappoint in that respect. However, everything went brilliantly, it appears, thanks to the dedication, commitment, and professionalism of all involved.
It just shows how shortsighted the RF is. This could have been a win win for all, but they have too much spite.
yes!!! so so glad Korea won the bid! I’m sure they’ll do an excellent job hosting!