The second edition of the Invictus Germany Sports Festival is just around the corner. From Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 14, CASTELLO Düsseldorf will once again be all about community and the true Invictus spirit, for the second time since 2024. The 2026 Sports Festival marks the next chapter in the legacy that began three years ago with the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023. Invictus Germany is organized by the non-profit association Respect e.V.
The weekend will kick off on Friday at 10 a.m. with an accompanying symposium on the topic of “Rehabilitation and Inclusion,” featuring around 100 participants. City Director Burkhard Hintzsche will deliver the welcome address on behalf of the City of Düsseldorf. Following the continuation and conclusion of the symposium organized by FUAV e.V. (Association for Supporting Work with People with Disabilities in Warendorf) on Saturday morning (8:45 a.m.), the focus will shift to the more than 120 competitors from a total of twelve nations, as well as representatives from emergency services. This means the 2024 attendance figures can be significantly surpassed.
The festival will be officially opened on Saturday at 10:20 a.m. by Dr. Stephan Keller, Mayor of the state capital Düsseldorf, Rob Owen, CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation, and Sebastian Hartmann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defense.
Following the opening ceremony, competitions in indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, and table tennis will begin at 11 a.m. On Sunday, the schedule features sitting volleyball, spinning, and table tennis starting at 9 a.m. This year, competitors from a total of four continents will be coming to Düsseldorf. In addition to Australia, Colombia, and Nigeria, teams from Belgium, Germany, France, Georgia, Great Britain, Lithuania, Poland, the Netherlands, and Ukraine will be sending teams to Düsseldorf.
In 2026, the festival’s goal remains to bring injured service members and first responders into the spotlight at the heart of society and to build bridges between the Bundeswehr, civil society, and international partners. At the same time, the event serves as a permanent hub for exchange among those affected and their families.
Dr. Nicole Schilling, Federal Ministry of Defense, Deputy Inspector General of the Bundeswehr and patron of FUAV: “For the participants, the Invictus Germany Sports Festival is far more than just sports. The competitions and personal interactions are a driving force for rehabilitation and new life goals. The Bundeswehr and FUAV e.V. are continuing with great conviction what was so strongly felt at the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023: Sport heals, community strengthens! Together, we stand firmly by the side of the soldiers who have fought to carve out new perspectives for themselves following injury, illness, or accident. Our priority is to actively support these courageous individuals and their families and to highlight their resilience.”
Burkhard Hintzsche, City Manager of Düsseldorf: “The Invictus Germany Sports Festival is much more than just a sporting competition. The interactions between participants create space for exchange, understanding, and mutual support. They demonstrate how shared experiences can bring people together. D.LIVE and D.SPORTS have set new standards with the annual Invictus events. The fact that other nations will host similar events in the future underscores the international appeal of the state capital.”
Michael Brill, CEO of D.LIVE: “With the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023, we have created far more than an extraordinary sporting event—we have laid the foundation for a sustainable movement. The Sports Festival 2024, the Invictus Germany Awards 2025, and now the Sports Festival 2026 underscore that the Invictus legacy is alive and well in Düsseldorf and continues to grow.”
About Invictus Germany
The Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 marked the first time Germany hosted the world’s largest sporting event for wounded, injured, and ill veterans. Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, served as the presenting partner. Boeing has been a partner and supporter of the Invictus Games Foundation—the organization behind the “Invictus Games”—since 2018, underscoring its global commitment to the rehabilitation of active-duty and former service members.
At the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023, over 500 participants from 21 nations competed in ten sports, sending a powerful message of resilience, team spirit, and respect. This experience gave rise to Invictus Germany—an initiative that carries forward the values and spirit of the Games in a sustainable way. Through the Invictus Germany Sports Festival (debuting in 2024), the Invictus Germany Awards (since 2025), and other projects, the spirit of the Games lives on: to permanently place the issues facing veterans and service members with disabilities at the center of society.
