What Are The Warrior Games?

This year's Warrior Games have been officially launched in the United States, with a British team (pictured above) among the 265 athletes in Chicago. 

The annual event brings together wounded, sick and injured service personnel and veterans to compete in eight sports, including shooting, archery, cycling, and sitting volleyball.

Comedian Jon Stewart and US Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson announced the official opening, and celebrities offered the athletes praise for their resiliency and thanks for their service.

Former President Barack Obama said:

 “As a society, we use the word heroes when we talk about sports, but there are true heroes here today; men and women who served their country with honor and selflessness, men and women who risked their lives so that others might live.

"The wounded warriors competing in these games didn’t get to choose the direction their lives would take in the instant they were injured.

"But every day, they choose to prove that life after injury isn’t about what you can’t do. It’s about what you can.”

The track competition started on Sunday, with more than 170 athletes taking part.

Besides the British contingent, the games will feature teams from the US Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Special Operations Command, as well as the Australian Defense Force.

Picture courtesy of the US Department of Defense.