Lord McNally: Invictus Games reminds us of the debt we owe servicemen and women

This weekend, over 400 athletes from 13 nations took part in the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women. The event, championed by HRH Prince Harry and organised by the MoD, was designed to improve understanding of the service and sacrifice these armed forces personnel and veterans have made for their countries and to enable the participants to celebrate what they have achieved in their journey of recovery.

Most importantly, the Games provide inspiration to others also making this journey, and are a testimony to the unifying power of sport and competition. The Invictus Games are the start of a legacy programme to support accessibility of adaptive sport and further employment opportunities for transitioning servicemen and women.

I had the privilege of hosting the team representing New Zealand at the Invictus Games when they visited Parliament on Monday last week for a short programme arranged by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK( CPA UK).

They, as I am sure are the other countries’ representatives, are a hugely impressive group of athletes; over a mere five days each sportsman and woman competed in a vast range of disciplines, from shot put to wheelchair basketball to backstroke, and at a standard that would intimidate many professional athletes. In particular, I admired the fact that their senses of humour seemed to have developed alongside the strength and willpower required to build a life not defined by disability.

I had previously been the recipient of their warm welcome when I visited New Zealand as part of a CPA UKdelegation to its Parliament. There, we joined the team for a wreath-laying ceremony to recognise the service of New Zealand troops serving in the First World War as we mark its centenary. I know my colleagues on the delegation will agree when I say that we found this to be one of the most powerful moments in the programme; as well as giving the context of long history to our continuing close relationship with New Zealand, it reminded us of the real-life impact of our work as parliamentarians on those who serve their country in the armed services.

The Cenotaph in Whitehall and war memorials in every town and village remind us of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. However there are those who survive conflict; but whose wounds, mental and physical, shape the rest of their lives. These are the men and women who remain masters of their fate and captains of their souls and who, by so doing, remind us of the debt we owe them.