Prince Harry's Invictus Games Announce Major Change Happening in 2025

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A new leader is taking the reins of Prince Harry's celebrated Invictus Games

The new CEO of Prince Harry's Invictus Games has been named.

On Dec. 20, the Invictus Games Foundation announced that Rob Owen OBE has been appointed as its new Chief Executive Officer. Owen will take the reins from the Invictus Games' outgoing chief executive, Dominic Reid OBE, in late February 2025. Reid helped deliver the inaugural Invictus Games in London in 2014, and announced in July that he would be stepping down from the CEO role after a decade in the post.

"The Board of Trustees is thrilled to welcome Rob Owen OBE as our new CEO. Rob's proven track record in building strong partnerships, fostering inclusive workplace cultures, and driving innovative funding mechanisms makes him the ideal choice to lead the Foundation into its next chapter," Lord Allen, chair of the Invictus Games Foundation, said in a statement.  "As we look ahead to the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 this February, we are excited for Rob to build on the incredible momentum and global impact that Dominic Reid has established over the past decade."

The Invictus Games Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of Rob Owen OBE as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Rob will officially take over the reins at the end of February 2025 following a few weeks of shadowing the outgoing CEO, Dominic Reid OBE, in January.… pic.twitter.com/k45mLAfsn1

— Invictus Games Foundation 💛🖤 (@WeAreInvictus) December 20, 2024

Related: Prince Harry Surprises Students in Canada with Invictus Games Program Launch: It 'Had a Profound Impact on Me'

Prince Harry, a former captain in the British Army, founded the Invictus Games, an international adaptive sports tournament for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, as a means for healing. The competition has previously been held in London (2014), Orlando, Florida (2016), Toronto, Canada (2017), Sydney, Australia (2018), The Hague, the Netherlands (2022, bumped from 2020 amid the COVID pandemic) and Dusseldorf, Germany (2023), with the seventh edition happening in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada in February of next year. 

Owen heads to Invictus after 16 years as CEO of St Giles Trust, a U.K. charity working to support individuals across a slew of social issues. During his tenure, the organization expanded its programming and saved the U.K. taxpayer an estimated $3.1 billion, and his active passions off-duty align with the Invictus spirit of competition! The incoming CEO has climbed Mount Everest and Mount McKinley, reached the North and South Poles, completed the weeklong Marathon des Sables in the desert, the New York Marathon, the Devizes to Westminster kayak race and pulled a sledge three times at the London Marathon.

In a statement, Reid said his successor was "perfectly suited" to take over the top job. Owen will officially take over at the end of February 2025 after a few weeks of shadowing Reid.

Related: Prince Harry Appears in New Video as the Invictus Games Prepare to Head to Canada

"Leading the Invictus Games Foundation has been an immense privilege. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved in creating an enduring legacy of support for international wounded, injured, and sick Service personnel and veterans through the power of sport," Reid said in a statement. "Rob's outstanding leadership and empathy make him perfectly suited to take the Foundation forward, and I wish him every success."

Owen called it an "honor" to join the Invictus Games Foundation, and voiced excitement for what's to come in Canada next year.

"I am honored to be joining the Invictus Games Foundation, an organization that has changed lives and saved lives over the past ten years, and inspired the world along the way," Owen said in a statement. "As the Foundation prepares for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, I am eager to start working alongside the team, our partners, and, most importantly, the incredible community of competitors and their families to ensure this mission continues to thrive and grow."

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The Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 cycle will be held in British Columbia from Feb. 8 to Feb, 16, 2025, with two notable firsts. It will be the first time the tournament returns to a former host country and feature the addition of winter sports — alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, Nordic skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling.

In February of this year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle launched the countdown by attending the Invictus Games One Year to Go celebrations in Canada, spending time at the kickoff Winter Training Camp with athletes due to participate in the next Games.

Speaking to PEOPLE at the event, Reid praised Prince Harry's commitment to making a difference for veterans through the Invictus Games and its global community. 

"He's an incredibly committed and passionate, and intelligent advocate for what we do. I can always rely on him to take things right back to the men and women who are in need of what we offer. He's been a fantastic support and a really superb person to work with over the last 10 years," Reid told PEOPLE.

The Duke of Sussex hyped up the excitement for the Invictus Games 2025 with several appearances in November, from a surprise cameo at Toronto's Grey Cup to a school program launch in Vancouver and hilarious video moment with ​​Jelly Roll, where the country superstar gave him an Invictus-inspired (faux!) neck tattoo. The must-see clip was used to announce the news that the "Save Me" singer would headline the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler.