Let the Invictus Games begin: once we clear up some questions.Starting with a big-production opening ceremony at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday and chugging along until the closing ceremonies on Sept. 30, the Games are about to stamp a significant presence on Toronto for the first time. But what are the games? Can anyone go see them? And how is the British monarchy involved? Here’s your rookie’s guide to what’s going on.Q: What’s actually happening over the next week? A: Wounded war veterans and service members duking it out over adaptive sport, emotionally-charged ceremonies and planeloads of interesting people landing in Toronto from all over the world.The Toronto games are the third iteration of Invictus, and are set to include more than 550 competitors from 17 countries. Twelve different sports are on the table — including golf, which hasn’t been an event in previous years. Q: How’s Prince Harry involved in all this? A: He’s the founder. Back in 2014, the fifth-in-line British royal established Invictus and held the inaugural event in London. The event didn’t actually run in 2015, but it picked back up in Orlando, FL last year. Prince Harry served in Afghanistan in the later 2000’s and early 2010’s, a time in his life that sparked a feeling that later became Invictus. In a piece the Prince wrote for the Star this summer, he writes about a day in particular when he was held on an airfield runway so the body of a Danish soldier could be loaded on board. Three British soldiers on the plane were also in induced comas. That plane ride, he wrote, is where the idea for all this began. Q: Alright, I’m interested. But how much is this going to cost me? A: Wheelchair tennis fans, rejoice! For you — along with aficionados of archery, cycling, golf, and land rover driving challenges — tickets to sporting events at venues like Fort York, the Distillery District and Nathan Phillips Squa ...
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