Invictus Games

In January 2026, the Armed Forces Para Snowsport Team (AFPST) delivered an adaptive snowsport initiative in Ukraine, as part of the Invictus Games Foundation's Signature Programme, focused on strengthening recovery pathways for wounded, injured and sick (WIS) service personnel while building long-term, locally led coaching capacity.

Through a train-the-trainer model delivered in partnership with UK- and US-based charity Ukrainian Action, AFPST trained 18 Ukrainian snowsport coaches in adaptive Alpine skiing, snowboarding and Nordic disciplines. The programme was led by six world-class AFPST adaptive coaches, four of whom were members of the WIS community, and included essential training in safety, adaptive classification, coaching methodology and mental health first aid.

The initiative was designed to create a sustainable foundation for adaptive snowsport in Ukraine. In the second phase of the programme, 24 Ukrainian WIS participants took part in enhanced snowsport courses delivered jointly by AFPST and the newly trained Ukrainian coaches, using sport as a tool for recovery, rehabilitation and renewed purpose, with support from the Invictus Games Foundation.

With this part of the programme complete, we wanted to take a closer look at its impact, please enjoy this blog by Elizabeth Winfield, COO of AFPST.

Thanks to the support of the Invictus Games Foundation, we are embarking on a project that feels both urgent and deeply meaningful. At its heart, this initiative is about recovery; not just physical rehabilitation, but the rebuilding of identity, confidence and purpose for wounded, injured and sick (WIS) service personnel in Ukraine.

Through this project, taking place in January 2026, AFPST will train Ukrainian snowsport coaches in adaptive Alpine skiing, snowboarding and Nordic disciplines. Our coaches, made up of WIS veterans themselves, will share not only technical expertise, but lived experience of how sport can transform recovery. Alongside the coach education, we will welcome Ukrainian WIS participants onto the snow, giving them access to high-quality adaptive coaching and a renewed pathway forward through sport.

Why sustainable recovery matters

Sustainable recovery doesn’t end when a programme finishes. True recovery is long-term, community-led and empowering. By equipping Ukrainian coaches with adaptive snowsport skills, we are creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond a single season. These coaches will be able to deliver programmes locally, consistently and independently, ensuring that recovery opportunities continue long after our direct involvement ends.

This is where the Invictus Games Foundation’s investment is so powerful. Their funding enables us to move beyond one-off experiences and instead build a model that embeds recovery into local systems, one that is resilient, scalable and sustainable, and in line with their new strategy for achieving system change.

Why Ukraine, and why now

Ukraine’s WIS community has endured immense trauma as a result of the ongoing war, and the number of those needing support continues to grow. The need there is acute. This project offers more than physical rehabilitation; it offers emotional restoration through connection with nature, shared challenge and collective purpose.

By investing in Ukrainian coaches, we are helping to build a self-sustaining model of hope and healing. Everything we bring is rooted in years of experience delivering AFPST programmes.

We know what works, and we know the difference this approach can make to lives.

Learning from lived experience

Our previous interactions with Ukrainian participants have been profoundly moving. Seeing their resilience, determination and openness to challenge made it clear that we needed to do more and to do it at scale, in-country.

A pivotal moment came when Ukrainian WIS took part in the Colorado Snowsports Championships again with Invictus Games Foundation support. Watching them thrive in an international adaptive snowsport environment was incredibly powerful. It reinforced what we already knew: snowsport works. It inspired us to move from isolated opportunities to a structured, scalable programme that could reach many more people at home.

A true partnership

This initiative is built on partnership. AFPST will lead the delivery of adaptive snowsport workshops across Nordic, Alpine and Snowboard disciplines, and support the rollout of a winter programme for the Ukrainian WIS community. We’ve also partnered with Ukrainian Action who play a vital role, bringing local knowledge, identifying those most in need, facilitating access, and ensuring the programme is culturally and logistically grounded.

Together, with the Invictus Games Foundation, we are combining international expertise with local leadership, a balance that is essential for meaningful impact.

The long-term vision

Our ambition is clear: to scale this initiative so it reaches more of Ukraine’s WIS community year on year. Ultimately, we want to see a strong, confident network of Ukrainian adaptive snowsport instructors delivering a fully self-sustaining, locally led recovery pathway. Success for us is stepping back and knowing the system will continue to thrive without us.

Why snowsport is different

Snowsport offers something uniquely powerful for recovery. We saw it last year at the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, the mountains, the cold air, the vastness of the environment all create space to heal. Combined with the exhilaration of speed, movement and challenge, it reignites a sense of possibility that many people feel they’ve lost.

Whether it’s hurtling down a slope or pushing through Nordic terrain, participants rediscover what they are capable of. Snowsport reminds them that if they can succeed here, they can succeed anywhere.

What this means to me

On a personal level, this project embodies everything I believe in: community, resilience and the power of shared purpose. It is a privilege to stand alongside people who are rebuilding their lives through sport, and to help others become catalysts for change within their own communities.

Thanks to the Invictus Games Foundation’s support, recovery is not just something we deliver, it’s something we help embed. And that, to me, is where real, lasting impact begins.

Ukraine and the Invictus Games Foundation

Supporting the Ukrainian wounded, injured or sick (WIS) service community forms a core part of the new strategy at the Invictus Games Foundation, with the Foundation providing support 'where the need is great'.

We are working with organisations in Ukraine closely as part of our new Signature Programme. Launched last year, the Signature Programme will help deliver sports recovery access nationwide, including remote regions far from Kyiv and Lviv, train Ukrainian coaches through our Train the Trainer Programme to build sustainable, local recovery initiatives, fund specialist adaptive sports equipment and aid in the access of local sporting opportunities for all of Ukraine’s WIS community.