The Duke of Sussex to Receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service for Founding the Invictus Games Foundation at The 2024 ESPYS
Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPYS, recognising his work in founding the Invictus Games Foundation, which has been using sport and adventurous challenge to support members of the international wounded, injured or service community in their recovery since 2014.
Prince Harry founded The Invictus Games Foundation in 2014 with the hosting of the inaugural Invictus Games of London 2014, what was supposed to be a one off event has now blossomed into a global movement that has supported the recovery of the international service community for a decade.
The Invictus Games is a bi-annual multi-sports event that is for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans.
The Invictus Games features participants from countries across every continent, who utilise sport as a pathway to lasting recovery from injury and has been held in London 2014, Orlando 2016, Toronto 2017, Sydney 2018, The Hague 2020, Düsseldorf 2023 and the upcoming Vancouver Whistler 2025.
The Invictus Games Foundation serves as the custodian of the Invictus Spirit, is the governing body of the Invictus Games and delivers the Beyond the Games programme to support members of the international wounded, injured or sick (WIS) service community 365 days a year.
The Beyond the Games programme is facilitated through the We Are Invictus platform and is open to all members of the international WIS community, not just the Participating Nations of the Invictus Games, and provides access to the Invictus community, virtual sporting challenges, Invictus Challenges (one day sporting events) and Invictus Adventures (multi-day international trips focused on adventurous challenge).
"This one is for our entire service community," Prince Harry said after learning of the honour.
"It’s our privilege to recognize three incredible individuals – Steve Gleason, Dawn Staley and Prince Harry," said Kate Jackson, VP, Production, ESPN.
Steve Gleason is a former American Football player and will receive The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for his work promoting awareness of motor neurone disease and Dawn Staley is a decorated American basketball coach and former player, who will receive The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.
“These honorees have used their platforms to change the world and make it more inclusive for marginalized and suffering communities, demonstrating incredible resilience, positivity and perseverance, and we’re thrilled to celebrate them at The 2024 ESPYS," Jackson said.
The 2024 ESPYS will be hosted by tennis star Serena Williams and will take place on Thursday, July 11 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and air live on ABC.
If you are a member of the international wounded, injured or sick service community and would like to join the Invictus community and access our Beyond the Games programme,, you can join the We Are Invictus platform here.
If you would like to support the work of the Invictus Games Foundation, you can donate to our cause here.
About The Pat Tillman Foundation
The Pat Tillman Foundation identifies remarkable veterans and military spouses as the next generation of leaders and helps them scale their impact as they enter their next chapter of service beyond self through academic scholarships, lifelong leadership development, and a global community of peers and supporters. For more information on the Pat Tillman Foundation and the impact of the Tillman Scholars, visit pattillmanfoundation.org.