National Defense Minister Vasile Dincu said on Wednesday that the Romanian injured military personnel who participate in this year's Invictus Games and their activities should be "a textbook example".
"Our Invictus team sets an example of strength, courage and victory. Overcoming your disability, overcoming your weakness, defeating despair is the greatest human victory. Your gesture and the activities you do, as well as your successes should be textbook examples. I therefore bow to the sacrifice you made for Romania and that you continue to make," Dincu told the Invictus Romania athletes attending a dedicated garden event organised at the Elizabeta Palace, hosted by Crown Custodian Margareta and His Royal Highness Prince Radu, Agerpres.ro informs.
Prince Radu called for "a special thought" for the Invictus team that will represent Ukraine in The Hague.
"You continue, with great dignity and courage, a 155-year relationship. In fact, the Crown of Romania and the Romanian Army belong to the same family. (...) We are extremely happy that you are about to represent us in The Hague, after a long and difficult journey that required inner strength, after two years that have rendered both the society and our region fragile. I would dearly want you and us, the ones who will be watching you from the stands, to send a special thought this year for your colleagues from Ukraine who are coming to compete in The Hague with us," Prince Radu said.
The captain of the Invictus Team Romania, master sergeant Costinel Slaniceanu, pointed out that the role of the Royal House of Romania has been to consistently promote national values, proving the commitment to its historical mission.
"We fought for Romania and for collective security in the theaters of operations and wherever the country needed us. We were wounded, but we didn't give up, because Invictus is about the power to carry on regardless of obstacles. We never backed down. We replaced the weapons with the bicycle or the bow and succeeded in representing Romania again, this time in the sports field," said Costinel Slaniceanu.
According to the National Defense Ministry, the Invictus team will depart on Thursday for The Hague to represent the Romanian Army in this year's edition of the Invictus Games which will take place over April 16 - 22. After the editions in Toronto (2017) and Sydney (2018), this will be the third Romanian participation in the Invictus Games, with a 20-strong lineup who will compete in seven sports - six individual (archery, athletics, rowing, powerlifting, cycling and swimming) and one team sport (sitting volleyball).
Founded in 2014, the Invictus Volunteer Association stands under the high patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Radu.
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