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There will be approximately 265 athletes participating in the 2017 DoD Warrior Games. The athletes represent the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Special Operations Command, as well as the U.K. Armed Forces and Australian Defence Force. The athletes symbolize to all wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans across the nation and around the world that individuals can recover from a serious injury or illness and lead fulfilling, productive and inspiring lives.

There are approximately 11,900 individuals enrolled in the DoD Wounded Warrior program.

Created in 2010, the Department of Defense (DoD) Warrior Games introduce wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans to paralympic-style sports. The Warrior Games showcase the resilient spirit of today’s wounded, ill or injured service members from all branches of the military. After overcoming significant injuries and illnesses, these athletes prove that life can continue after becoming wounded, ill and injured. The U.S. Navy, in partnership with the city of Chicago, will host the 2017 DoD Warrior Games.

The DoD Warrior Games will feature eight adaptive sports: archery, cycling, field, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and wheelchair basketball. (The shooting event is conducted using Olympic competition pellet guns).

The Department of Defense Warrior Games will be held in the city of Chicago, IL June 30 – July 8, 2017. Events will take place in several locations including Soldier Field, McCormick Place Convention Center, the United Center, the University of Illinois at Chicago Natatorium, and Lane Tech Academy.

Before a wounded, ill or injured service member may compete to participate in the Games, he or she must first be enrolled in their respective service's Wounded Warrior program, which provides non-medical care to post-9/11 service members who are seriously wounded, ill or injured. The links below provide details for how to contact the respective wounded warrior program:

Once enrolled, warriors may then participate in structured camps, clinics, trials and daily adaptive sports activities that are executed nationwide with support from the Department of Defense's military adaptive sports program. Athletes are able to compete based on their professionalism, dedication and determination and that of their military medical teams' and families' supporting their recovery efforts.


The presenting sponsors for the 2017 Department of Defense Warrior Games are Boeing and Fisher House Foundation. Both of these organizations have been strong historic partners for the Department of Defense and the Department of Navy.

A number of locations across the country were considered, including other military installations. To increase awareness of the Games and the significance of the Department of Defense’s Wounded Warrior Program, it was determined that selecting a city with experience in large-scale events, with the appropriate facilities to accommodate the various Warrior Games’ sporting events, historic ties with the Navy – just up to the road in Great Lakes is the Navy’s one and only basic training location, that Chicago was the right choice. The city has been, for decades, a true supporter of military men and women and veterans. Chicago also has a long history of hosting adaptive sports competitions similar to the Warrior Games going back to 2010 with the first VA Valor Games. The Warrior Games planning committee is working very closely with the city already, to create the most successful and rewarding Games possible for the athletes and their families.

Fitness and teamwork are a way of life in the military. Serious illness or injury can profoundly impact that way of life, often confining a service member to a hospital bed and significantly altering their physical capabilities. Adaptive sports help wounded warriors build strength and endurance, while also drawing inspiration from their teammates. The goal of the Warrior Games is to demonstrate the incredible potential of wounded warriors through competitive sports.