Athletes sprint toward the finish line at the 2015 Warrior Games. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.
The 2016 Department of Defense (DOD) Warrior Games will be hosted at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, from June 14-22.
This is the first year the Army is hosting the Warrior Games, which is an annual sporting competition that brings together wounded, ill, and injured service members and veterans from across the country.
“The United States Military Academy and the entire West Point community are honored to host the 2016 DOD Warrior Games,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen, the superintendent. “These warrior-athletes competing in the games, who at one time answered their nation’s call to service, exemplify the very best of America. They embody the resiliency, discipline, mental and physical toughness to overcome adversity and achieve their goals-all traits we aspire to instill in our graduates, who will lead America’s sons and daughters as Army officers.”
DOD Warrior Games 2016 will feature eight sporting events: archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, and wheelchair basketball in a Paralympic-style competition. Approximately 200 athletes representing teams from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and U.S. Special Operations Command will compete. Each military service hosts trials in the months leading up to the games to determine their teams.
Adaptive sports and athletic reconditioning activities play a fundamental role in recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration of service members back to their units or as they transition into the civilian sector.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/warriorgames and http://warriorgamesfamilyprogram.org.
This article is based on information provided by DOD News, Defense Media Activity.