00:01I want to start by saying thank you.
00:04Thank you to Michael Burns and his team,
00:07to all the amazing volunteers,
00:10to our friends and families,
00:12and to the people of Toronto.
00:20You have delivered the biggest Invictus Games yet,
00:24with the most incredible atmosphere,
00:27making our competitors feel like the stars they are.
00:39One week ago, I told you that you needed to be ready,
00:44but even I could not have been ready
00:46for the scale of what we witnessed at these Games.
00:50I told you to be ready for some fierce competition,
00:55but I'm not sure any of us were ready
00:59for a group of men from Georgia,
01:01who until three years ago,
01:03had never even played the game
01:05to battle all the way to gold in sitting volleyball.
01:25I told you to be ready to see examples of determination,
01:31that would give you power in your own lives.
01:34but I'm not sure any of us were ready to see Mark Ormrod,
01:38with a medal round his neck,
01:40hoisting his son onto his shoulders,
01:42and capturing the imagination of the world.
01:54I told you to be ready to see the true meaning of teamwork,
01:59but who could have predicted how powerful it would be
02:03to see competitors from Ukraine, Denmark, Romania, and America
02:08band together to form Team Unconquered,
02:12and win a sitting volleyball game with the people they just met.
02:25I told you to get ready to see role models that children would look up to.
02:30But who could have imagined that Randy Gavel would compete on the track,
02:36on the court, and in the pool,
02:37having battled back from emotional challenges,
02:40and while four and a half months pregnant.
02:59I think we all know who Randy's little girl is going to look up to.
03:05I told you to be ready to see lives change in front of your eyes,
03:10but I didn't tell you that some of those lives would be your own.
03:14I told you that anything is possible, if you have the will.
03:20But I didn't tell you that when we saw triple amputee Mike Nicholson
03:25nail a 150-yard drive on a golf course...
03:48What we thought was possible would change forever.
03:53Thank you, Mike.
03:57I told you you would be inspired,
03:59but I didn't say that these games might leave you questioning
04:03if you are living to your own true potential.
04:06To the thousands who filled the stands this week,
04:09and the millions who watched at home,
04:12let me issue you a challenge.
04:14Don't just move on from these games with happy memories.
04:18Instead, make an Invictus goal for yourselves.
04:21Let the examples of service and resilience that you have seen
04:26inspire you to take action to improve something,
04:30big or small, in your life, for your family, or in your community.
04:45Let's create a ripple effect of the Invictus spirit across our nations
04:50that will be the real legacy of this extraordinary week.
04:59As I did a week ago, I want to end by speaking directly to our competitors.
05:06Settle.
05:08Right now, you're on a high.
05:11At the summit of a mountain, many of you thought was too high to climb.
05:17You have done it.
05:19This is the moment.
05:21Right here, right now.
05:22Shoulder to shoulder, you are Invictus.
05:27This is the moment.
05:50These games are not about gold, silver, or bronze medals.
05:59They never have been.
06:01They're about the journey that you and your families have made
06:04to the start line.
06:06Now, going home, it might be tough.
06:09As the excitement fades, but you have faced so many great challenges before,
06:15it'll be a breeze.
06:18It will.
06:20As I have said many times, once you've served, you are always serving.
06:27And on your return home, I want you to set a new Invictus goal.
06:32Make a plan about how you're going to use the experience of this week
06:37to help lift up all those around you.
06:40It might be something big, like starting a new project for young people.
06:45Or it might be something small, like reconnecting with an old friend.
06:50It doesn't matter how big or small your step is.
06:54Just take it.
07:06Our world needs your dedication and passion like never before.
07:13And you never know.
07:15And you never know.
07:16This may just be the missing piece of the puzzle to help you regain
07:21that satisfaction of serving others once again.
07:33And I'd also like to ask for one more important favour.
07:36I bet you can all think of at least one person who would benefit from these Invictus games,
07:43but has yet to find the motivation to make that first step.
07:48When we gather in Sydney next year, I look forward to seeing familiar faces in competition.
07:53But more than anything, I hope to meet those who have watched these games at home,
07:59who may still be struggling, but with your support,
08:03will wear their nation's flag on their chest once again as part of the 2018 Games.
08:17And I want to see those who have competed this year back by their sides,
08:22cheering them on as others have done for you.
08:25The Invictus games are not just for the already determined.
08:30These games are for those who need it most.
08:34Please help us find them.
08:47It's going to be Game On Down Under.
08:49I'll see you in Australia.
Comments