▲ Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Invictus Games held in Germany on Sept. 10, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

By Kim Hyun-soo

SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Yonhap) -- Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, will send a video message to congratulate the opening of a sports event for wounded service members in South Korea set for next month, officials said Thursday.

Prince Harry's video message will be shown at the opening ceremony of the 60th iteration of the National Disabled Veterans Sports Festival, scheduled to run from Oct. 13-15 in Suwon, south of Seoul, an official from the Korea Disabled Veterans Organization told Yonhap News Agency.

It would mark the first time that the prince will send a video message to commemorate the local sports event.

The annual sports festival, sponsored by the veterans ministry, dates back to its inaugural event in 1967, making it the country's first sporting event for wounded service members. For this year, some 1,400 athletes will compete in various events, including lawn bowling, shooting and archery.

"Prince Harry's message appears to be intended to show his support for South Korea's 60-year efforts to back wounded, injured and sick service members through sports," the official said.

In the video, Prince Harry is expected to highlight the meaning of the upcoming sports event and also mention South Korea's 2029 hosting of the Invictus Games in the central city of Daejeon.

The Invictus Games, founded by Prince Harry in 2014, is an international sports competition for wounded, injured and sick service members.

"Prince Harry has attended all Invictus Games since the games' founding in 2014, and we expect him to be present at the 2029 games as well," a government source said.

The South Korean government is in talks with the Invictus Games Foundation in Britain to invite Prince Harry to a one-year countdown event to be held in 2028 prior to the official launch of the 2029 Games, according to sources.

South Korea's Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul, will be the first Asian city to host the Invictus Games. South Korea has participated in every Invictus Games since making its debut at the 2022 games in the Netherlands.

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