The Power of Recovery Through Sport: Why Poland sees IGF as a Strategic Partner for the future

The Power of Recovery Through Sport: Why Poland Sees Invictus Games Foundation as a Strategic Partner for the future

By Richard Smith CBE, Deputy CEO, Invictus Games Foundation

This week, I had the honour of being invited to attend the Defence 24 Days Conference at the National Stadium in Warsaw together with military leaders, policymakers and industry to explore the future of defence across Central and Eastern Europe.

But while much of the agenda focused on strategy, weapons systems and cyber resilience, what struck me most was this: Poland is also thinking deeply about people and community.

Amid conversations about digitisation, rearmament, and regional security threats, there was a quiet but powerful current of understanding — that national resilience doesn’t just depend on technology and capability, but on the strength of a society’s values, and how it supports those who serve. The panel topic on which I spoke brought this to life: veterans as leaders and mentors – ‘Patriotism after service’.

When I met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Vice Minister Stanisław Wziątek, and Chief of the General Staff General Wiesław Kukuła, their recognition of the Invictus Spirit was immediate — and their interest in potentially hosting a future Games in Poland was not just symbolic. It was strategic.

They saw, clearly, that the work of the Invictus Games Foundation means more than an international sporting event. The opportunities we offer are a vehicle for rehabilitation through the power of sport and the reintegration of WIS personnel into society. Not only this, but community-building for families who often carry the invisible weight of service as well as facilitating international visibility for nations that champion our shared values.

The Invictus Games Foundation exists to support the recovery journeys of those wounded, injured or sick during their service. Sport is our means, not necessarily our end. We have seen, across all 25 nations across the Invictus Community, how the physical, psychological and social benefits of sport can rebuild lives. It gives purpose where there was isolation. Confidence where there was doubt. Belonging where there was disconnection.

Poland sees this too. In my discussions and on our panel, on which I spoke alongside former UK MP Sir Julian Brazier, there was a shared appreciation that supporting veterans must go beyond recognition. It must offer real tools for recovery.

The work of the Invictus Games Foundation does that, not just for individuals, but for the families and communities who stand beside them. In conversations I had whilst on this visit, this family aspect of our model most deeply resonated with the Polish delegation. It is often what sets us apart.

I was particularly moved by meeting members of Poland’s growing Invictus Games community: Kat, the Invictus Games Team Poland Team Manager and Head of the Veterans’ Centre, and Tomasz Roźniatowski, a WIS veteran injured in Afghanistan in 2011.

Tomasz’s story of his challenges on his journey to recovery encapsulates the Invictus Spirit. It was a reminder that this is not something to be imported to Poland. It is already here, waiting to be amplified.

The reception of work of the Invictus Games Foundation in this region is testament to the way that Poland, at this key point in its defence evolution, is investing not only in its armed forces, but in the lifelong wellbeing of those who serve.

Poland, as indeed are many members of our Invictus Community of Nations, is leading by example in a region where veteran support is evolving, showing that strength is not just about readiness for conflict, but about care, dignity, and recovery beyond it.

My warm thanks go to our Polish hosts and the wider Defence community. It was clear to me that Poland is not only serious about defence; it is serious about what it means to serve, to sacrifice, and to heal. The more the Foundation can bring Invictus to Poland, I believe the impact will reach far beyond the Games and programmes themselves, they will inspire a generation of veterans across Europe and beyond.