A ROOKIE’S GUIDE TO THE UPCOMING GAMES
Let the Invictus Games begin: once we clear up some questions. Starting with a big-production opening ceremony at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday and chugging along until the closing ceremonies on Sept. 30, the Games are about to stamp a significant presence on Toronto for the first time. But what are the Games? Can anyone go see them? And how is the British monarchy involved? Here’s your rookie’s guide to what’s going on.
What’s actually happening over the next week?
Wounded war veterans and service members will duke it out over adaptive sport. There’ll be emotionally charged ceremonies, and planeloads of interesting people will arrive from all over the world. The Toronto Games are the third iteration of Invictus, and are set to include more than 550 competitors from 17 countries. Twelve different sports are on the table — including golf, which hasn’t been an event in previous years.
How is Prince Harry involved?
He’s the founder. Back in 2014, the fifth-in-line to the British throne established Invictus and held the inaugural event in London. The event didn’t actually run in 2015, but it picked back up in Orlando, Fla., last year. Prince Harry served in Afghanistan in 2008 and the early 2010s. In a piece the prince wrote for the Star this summer, he described a day in particular when he was held on an airfield runway so the body of a Danish soldier could be loaded on board. Three British soldiers on the plane were also in induced comas.
That plane ride, he wrote, was when the idea for all of this began.
All right, I’m interested. But how much is this going to cost me?
Tennis fans, rejoice! For you — along with aficionados of archery, cycling, golf, and land rover driving challenges — tickets to sporting events at venues such as Fort York, the Distillery District and Nathan Phillips Square are completely free.
Countless adjacent events are cropping up through the city, too. If you’re one of the first 230 people at the Four Seasons Centre on Sept. 27, you’ll see a Canadian Opera Company concert entirely free of charge.
If you’re willing to spend a little more, $25 will get you into any number of events from powerlifting to indoor rowing, as well as either the preliminaries or the finals of wheelchair basketball. To follow the action, see both for $50.
Big spenders can drop between $60 and $150 per person to the opening or closing ceremonies at the Air Canada Centre. As of Thursday, there were still tickets left to the opening ceremony, though the closing one has sold out.
Which is going to be better? The opening ceremony or the closing?
Sarah McLachlan will be joined at the kickoff event by Alessia Cara, the Tenors, Laura Wright and La Bottine Souriante.
But the closing ceremony on Sept. 30 is also bringing out some heavy hitters. We’re looking at performances from Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Kelly Clarkson, Coeur de Pirate and Bachman & Turner to start.
Either way, you’re getting an ACC show produced by Patrick Roberge — the man behind dazzling Grey Cup halftime shows and Olympic spectacles — coloured by the emotional stories of international service members. On a practical level: leave early. With road closures, traffic will likely be a mess both days. No bags or water bottles will be allowed inside.
Who else is in town?
If you thought TIFF drew out household names last week, buckle up for this one. Besides his royal highness, a wave of political figures is hitting Toronto.
Former U.S. president Barack Obama and current first lady Melania Trump will be in town to support American troops, with Trump leading the American delegation.
A slew of recognizable faces are landing in the city for We Day, an official partner for the Games. Kelly Clarkson, Penny Oleksiak, Ban Kimoon, Hedley, Andre De Grasse, George Takei, Vanessa Hudgens and Spencer West will take to the stage on Sept. 28 at the ACC before the big finale. Officially, though, the ambassador of the Toronto Games is actor Mike Myers.