For the fifth year in a row, World Sport Chicago will host the Valor Games Midwest. This event is an adaptive sports competition for active duty military personnel and veterans who were disabled in their service. The competition is for veterans and active duty personnel who have had a limb amputated, are coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, have sustained brain injuries or experience visual and hearing disabilities. The participants compete in events like shot put, cycling, archery and indoor rowing.
The three-day event will take place Aug. 18-20 at Soldier Field, Armour Square Park and Marquette Park. At the opening ceremonies in Soldier Field, World Sport Chicago will display thousands of messages they are calling the Wall of Thanks. Gathered from various social media accounts, the wall will convey messages of gratitude and support from people around the country. The games are a chance for the men and women who have served and are serving the country to remain physically active and reintegrate into society.
"Sometimes the hardest thing when you get back from deployment is getting back to a sense of normalcy, especially if you've lost a limb or you've been injured," Kambium Buckner, executive director for World Sport Chicago, told the Big Ten Sports Network. "Valor Games gives them a chance to get back to normalcy and to be around folks with shared experience."
This year, over 200 former and active duty servicemembers are anticipated to compete.