Study to assess impact of participation in the Invictus Games

Forces in Mind Trust is delighted to award a grant of £183,500 to the Invictus Games Foundation, to explore the long-term impact of sport participation through an examination of the Invictus Games (IG), and to identify best practices to support the long-term well-being of serving and ex-Service personnel who are wounded, injured and sick.

The four-year project, entitled Beyond the Finish Line, will assess whether the competitors’ well-being improves significantly compared to non-competitors, and measure the duration of the difference.

The study will involve approximately 300 participants, split evenly between competitors and non-competitors from all participating nations. After completing an initial questionnaire, participants will complete online questionnaires at six additional time-points.

The study will also assess different nations’ strategies for promoting competitor well-being, to enable the sharing of best practices with other programmes. This additional element of the research will focus on the Nation staff, e.g team leaders, coaches, physiotherapists, support staff etc.

Ray Lock, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind Trust said: “The purpose of Forces in Mind Trust is to enable all ex-Service personnel to have a successful and sustainable transition to civilian life.

“The Invictus Games Foundation is a wonderful organization that uses sport to inspire recovery for wounded, injured and sick Service personnel and helps to raise awareness with the British public of the challenges some Service personnel have had to overcome.

The project will provide a deeper understanding of the needs of this particular cohort and show how events such as the Invictus Games impact upon rehabilitation and the well-being of participants.”

Dominic Reid OBE, Chief Executive, Invictus Games Foundation said: “The support of FiMT will allow important research to be undertaken into the effects that competing in the Invictus Games has on the competitors and their friends and families. Being able to get beyond the overwhelmingly positive, but anecdotal, feedback and establish a solid data set is of enormous value. We owe a debt of gratitude to FiMT for making this possible.”

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Note to Editor:  Ray Lock is available for interview. To arrange please contact Tina McKay, Communications Officer at FiMT on co@fim-trust.org or on 07956 101132 or 0207 901 8916.

About the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT):

FiMT came about from a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund (‘the Fund’), Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities) and other charities and organisations. FiMT continues the Fund’s long-standing legacy of support for veterans across the UK with an endowment of £35 million awarded in 2012. http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/.

The mission of FiMT is to enable ex-Service personnel and their families make a successful and sustainable transition to civilian life, and it delivers this mission by generating an evidence base that influences and underpins policy making and service delivery.

FiMT awards grants (for both responsive and commissioned work) to support its change model around 6 outcomes in the following areas: Housing; Employment; Health and wellbeing; Finance; Criminal Justice System; and Relationships. All work is published in open access and hosted on the Forces in Mind Trust Research Centre’s Veterans and Families Research Hub. A high standard of reportage is demanded of all grant holders so as to provide a credible evidence base from which better informed decisions can be made.

Useful links

Website: www.fim-trust.org

Reports: www.fim-trust.org/reports/

Who we have helped: www.fim-trust.org/who-we-have-helped/

Twitter: @FiMTrust

About the Mental Health Research Programme: www.fim-trust.org/mental-health/research-programme/

About the Invictus Games

The Invictus Games is the international adaptive sporting event for wounded, injured and sick Servicemen and women, both serving and veteran. The Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of all those who serve their country.

The inaugural Invictus Games were held in London in September 2014. Since then, the Invictus Games have been held in Orlando, USA in May 2016 and Toronto, Canada in September 2017. The fourth Invictus Games, which will take place in Sydney, Australia from 20-27 October 2018, will welcome over 500 competitors from 18 nations.

The Invictus Games Foundation was established to develop and pursue the event’s legacy, ensuring that hundreds more men and women around the world who are still embarking on their recovery pathway could benefit from taking part in a future Invictus Games. The Foundation selects the hosts of future Games and oversees their delivery, ensuring they meet stringent quality standards.

Media enquiries

For more information about the Invictus Games Foundation, please contact Rose Hall (rose.hall@invictusgames.org) at or 020 3848 4651.

For the latest information on the Invictus Games Foundation please visit www.invictusgamesfoundation.org.

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