Back to life through sport: 'I do not need a medal'
German veterans Jens Niemeyer and Tino Wesser share how Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 helped get their life back.
BNN
“For us soldiers, participating in the Invictus Games is like candy on our way to recovery,” said German army veteran Tino Wesser while standing on a training ground in Düsseldorf, Germany. “I’m being shown how far I’ve come already on this way. I’m being shown how many things I am still able to do.”
Together with his comrade Jens Niemeyer, Tino participates at Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023, an international sports event for wounded, injured and sick soldiers. This year, the Invictus Games presented by Boeing, are taking place in Germany for the first time since their foundation in 2014.
Niemeyer and Wesser registered for several disciplines. Among others, “You can see us together shot-putting and discus throwing,” they said, glowing with excitement and pride.
Both are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition caused by traumatic experiences they lived through when deployed to Afghanistan more than 10 years ago.
“It took me nine and a half years to admit that I needed help. Now I’ve been in therapy for three and a half years,” Niemeyer said on German public television ZDF during a talk show on the opening day of the Invictus Games.
The power of sport is a means for them to cope with their mental suffering, making the Invictus Games an important stepping stone on their way to recovery. But the Games are also a way of giving back to their families.
“Our families are doing so much. They are a cornerstone for us at home that is making all of this possible. And now we can finally give something back to them,” Niemeyer said.
The Invictus Games are about giving visibility and respect to veterans for the sacrifices they make to protect society. For Niemeyer and Wesser, they are not about winning.
“I do not need a medal, I feel I am carrying one around my neck already just by participating,” Wesser recently told the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Still, after winning the bronze medal in the shot-put finals, Niemeyer is close to tears. After receiving his medal from the General Inspector of the German Army and saluting him, he kisses his wife Nicole who accompanied him to Düsseldorf.
Catch up quick:
By Aaron Eucker