Sport can help physically, psychologically and socially those suffering from injuries and illness. The Invictus Games Foundation harnesses the power of sport to inspire recovery and support rehabilitation. However, many are not able to participate athletically. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person to achieve more. How could we utilize our technology to help even more people take part and thus extend the rehabilitative power of The Games? 

The Invictus Games give wounded, injured & sick (WIS) service personnel and veterans the opportunity to compete at an international level with pride and dignity, ensuring they are not forgotten by the public. But what about those WIS veterans that are unable to take part? Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person on the planet to achieve more. Through Microsoft’s innovative tools and technology, we were able to turn passive spectators into active participants by extending the Invictus Games to those that are not able to compete and thus inspire a community to achieve more. 

The project took over 2.5 years—including recruitment of the veterans, 9 months in R&D creating solutions to suit the veterans’ varied musical abilities, musical workshops and composition of the Anthem at the famous Metropolis Studios. The creation of a new, truly inclusive anthem reimagined from Chris Martin’s original track and painstakingly adapted using instrumentation that could be played using assistive technology. 
 
We created a film showing the journey that they went through, from life in service, to life after injury, to finally being able to play music again.    
 
The Anthem was played at every medal ceremony at The Invictus Games and broadcasted around the world. The film was released across owned channels & PR. This year we’re expanding the idea to reach everyone, with an online approximation designed to give users a better sense of the actual assistive technology used, and the ability to create their own Invictus anthem.