CHICAGO — Defense Department officials announced July 8, 2017, that the Air Force will host the 2018 DOD Warrior Games at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 2018.
The announcement took place during the closing ceremony of the Navy-hosted 2017 DOD Warrior Games in Chicago. To mark the announcement, Navy Vice Adm. Mary Jackson, the commander of Navy Installations Command, passed the ceremonial torch to Air Force Lt. Gen. Gina M. Grosso, the deputy chief of staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, before competition flames in the cauldron were extinguished.
“This year I witnessed the positive impact the competition had on our wounded warriors and all those involved,” said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. “It’s an honor for the Air Force to host these talented athletes at the Air Force Academy in 2018.”
The Warrior Games was created in 2010 as a way to enhance the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded warriors through participation in adaptive sports. This year’s DOD Warrior Games featured five U.S. teams representing the Army, Marine Corps, Navy/Coast Guard, Air Force and the U.S. Special Operations Command. During the games, teams competed in eight sports, including archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, and wheelchair basketball.
“The Air Force is excited to lead this effort on behalf of the DOD,” said Col. Gina Oliver, the 2018 DOD Warrior Games director. “The Air Force Academy and the Colorado Springs community are excited to welcome the Warrior Games back to Colorado Springs, capitalizing on past experience when the U.S. Olympic Committee was responsible for the Warrior Games and hosted several events at the Academy. The world class facilities at the Air Force Academy and the outstanding hospitality of the Colorado Springs community will provide an outstanding venue for our athletes and their families as they celebrate their resiliency, determination and ability to overcome a variety of unexpected challenges.”
The July 8 closing ceremony concluded a week of intense competition. The athletes, who traveled to Chicago from locations around the world, have upper-body and/or lower-body injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairments, serious illnesses and/or post-traumatic stress.
For more information about Wounded Warrior Care programs, visit http://warriorcare.dodlive.mil.
