Chris Martin Joins Opening Ceremony Headline Lineup for Prince Harry's Invictus Games in Canada
The Coldplay rocker will take the stage to celebrate the Games next weekend
There's going to be a lineup full of stars at the opening ceremony of Prince Harry's Invictus Games in Canada!
On Jan. 31, the Invictus Games announced that Chris Martin has joined the lineup for the opening ceremony of Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Coldplay frontman will perform at Invictus' kickoff event at BC Place in Vancouver, and joins previously announced headliners Katy Perry, Nelly Furtado, Noah Kahan and Roxanne Bruneau.
A statement said that Martin's performance will be a "powerful tribute to hope, resilience and the Invictus Spirit at the heart of these Games," and it's a little-known fact that the Grammy Award-winner already has a special connection to Prince Harry's international adaptive sports tournament for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans.
Related: How Prince Harry's Invictus Games Are Transforming Veterans' Lives Worldwide: 'We're Healing'
The "Sky Full of Stars" singer composed the Invictus Anthem in 2014, the year that the Duke of Sussex launched the tournament, as inspired by William Ernest Henley's poem "Invictus." The prose's powerful lines, "I am the master of my fate, I am the competition of my soul," sparked the competition's motto, "I am" — and that's not all.
Martin's music has served as the soundtrack to the medal ceremonies of every Invictus Games since, teeing his upcoming performance at the opening ceremony to be a full-circle moment. Prince Harry, a former captain in the British Army who deployed twice to Afghanistan, launched the Invictus Games as a means for healing for veterans, and the upcoming cycle in Canada will be its seventh edition.
Up to 550 athletes from up to 25 nations are expected to convene to compete in 11 adaptive sports at the upcoming Games in Vancouver and Whistler, which runs from Feb. 8 to Feb. 16.
The opening ceremony lineup isn't the only starry concert on the calendar, as the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler's closing ceremony will be headlined by Jelly Roll, Barenaked Ladies and The War and Treaty.
Robyn McVicker, Chief Operating Officer of the Invictus Games, previously told PEOPLE that the Duke of Sussex had "input" in the headlining acts.
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"We’ve been thrilled to be able to work with him on the approach to the [ceremonies]. We’ve kept him posted about shortlists and what we’re talking about. He’s had input," McVicker told PEOPLE.
Commenting on the high-powered talent, she added, "We are so honored and thrilled that so many incredible musicians want to be connected with the Invictus movement."
Read the original article on People