Veteran sport showcased at Community Sport Day

The second annual Community Sports Day hosted by Invictus Australia, and supported by Defence Health, was held on the weekend at the Tuggeranong Archery Club in Canberra, shining a spotlight on how veterans can participate in sport to suit abilities and goals.

It was an action packed family friendly event with more than 500 people attending, a significant increase on last year’s numbers for the inaugural event. A number of organisations set up market stalls to encourage community engagement with services and support, including Open Arms – Veterans and Families Counselling, Soldier On and other ex-service organisations, the Australian Military Bank, and local and national sporting partners.

Veterans and their families had fun trialling the different sports on offer from drone racing, wheels and paddles to wheelchair rugby league, archery, pickleball, bowls, indoor rowing, table tennis and volleyball. Face painting, music, kids’ entertainment and food trucks were also a hit at the family-friendly event. 

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Sport is such a powerful tool that can support veterans in all aspects of life – from rehabilitation to tackling social isolation and finding ones’ purpose. 

If you're interested to learn more about adaptive sports for veterans check out this latest news article  The healing power of sport – what are adaptive sports | Department of Veterans' Affairs (dva.gov.au)