The Invictus Games Foundation Supports Pickleball Initiative Across Ukraine

The All-Ukrainian Pickleball Federation (AUPF) has received a £30,000 grant from the Invictus Games Foundation to expand adaptive pickleball opportunities for wounded, injured and sick veterans across Ukraine.

The funding will support the delivery of a community-based programme throughout 2026, creating regular opportunities for injured or ill Ukrainian service members and veterans to participate in adaptive sport while strengthening local networks and recovery pathways. The initiative is designed to bring sport closer to veterans in their own communities, making participation more accessible and sustainable across the entirety of the region and not concentrated in specific centres.

This investment is expected to have a lasting impact beyond the initial funding period. By upskilling participants to trainers, they can return to their area and began helpings other and establish local clubs and sports groups, this programme will create a sustainable structure for adaptive pickleball that can continue to serve veterans for years to come.

“The most significant impact of this grant will come from the veterans who take part. By training wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans as pickleball instructors, we are helping to create opportunities that can be delivered and sustained within their own communities," said Josh Boggi, International Programmes Manager at the Invictus Games Foundation.

"Those instructors will be able to introduce more people to the sport, support others on their recovery journey and establish activity in areas where opportunities may not otherwise exist. This approach creates a lasting benefit that extends far beyond the initial funding period,” Josh said.

Building on the growing interest in adaptive pickleball, the programme will establish activities in several locations where demand already exists. The community will have access to regular sessions that promote not just physical activity but also social connection, helping them engage with supportive peer networks as part of their recovery journey.

As Ukraine continues to support increasing numbers of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, sport is playing an increasingly important role in recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration. Through this partnership, the Invictus Games Foundation and AUPF are seeking to ensure that more veterans have access to meaningful opportunities to improve their physical wellbeing, strengthen social connections and remain actively involved in their communities.

"For a veteran, there is a real difference between being helped and being needed. This programme gives our trainers both: the skills to teach and the opportunity to support others. That shift, from receiving support to becoming someone others can rely on, can be a powerful part of the recovery journey. We are grateful to the Invictus Games Foundation for believing in this approach and for making it possible for Ukrainian veterans to lead recovery through sport in their own communities," said Anna Glotova, Co-founder and Director of Strategic Partnerships at the All-Ukrainian Pickleball Federation.

The programme represents another significant step in the growth of adaptive sport in Ukraine supported by the Invictus Games Foundation's Signature Programme. The Invictus Games Foundation is focusing it's resources where the need is great and has identified Ukraine as a country in critical need of resources to support the recovery of it's ever-growing community of wounded, injured or sick service personnel and veterans.

With this grant we are empowering community-based initiatives that can create lasting positive outcomes for veterans while building stronger local support networks.

About Signature Programmes

The Ukraine Signature Programme exists to decentralise access to recovery through sport across Ukraine by supporting local delivery, building regional capacity, generating evidence of impact, and strengthening long-term Ukrainian ownership of adaptive sport and recovery activity.

Pickleball at the Invictus Games

Adaptive pickleball is a highly accessible sport that can be adapted for a wide range of physical abilities, offering participants an enjoyable way to stay active while supporting recovery and social connection and that is why it has been added to the Invictus Games for Birmingham 2027.

Pickleball will be making its Games debut in Birmingham next year and was recently trialled for the community at the One Year to Go events at the National Exhibition Centre, see here for more details.