Adaptive Sports
Fitness and teamwork are a way of life in the military. Serious illness or injury can profoundly impact that way of life, often confining a service member to a hospital bed and significantly altering their physical capabilities.
Adaptive athletics have been modified to meet the abilities of injured or ill individuals. They help wounded warriors build strength and endurance while also drawing inspiration from their teammates.
All wounded warriors enrolled in Navy Wounded Warrior are encouraged to include adaptive athletics in their recovery plans to build strength and endurance. Sports also help build self-esteem, lower stress levels, and invite service members to rejoin a team environment.
Resources for Veterans
Participation in adaptive sports doesn't have to end after separation. The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events provides Veterans with opportunities for health and healing through adaptive sports and therapeutic art programs. These specialized rehabilitation events aim to optimize Veterans’ independence, community engagement, well-being, and quality of life. The programs are built on clinical expertise within VA, with essential support from Veteran Service Organizations, corporate sponsors, individual donors and community partners.
During national events and activities, veterans from across the service branches find community and fellowship through sports. Grants and training allowances are available for qualifying individuals.
Learn more here.
Road to the Warrior Games
The adaptive sports and recreation program promotes the mental and physical well-being of wounded, ill, and injured service members as part of a larger continuum of care that service members receive through Navy Wounded Warrior. For many, participation in adaptive athletics represents another milestone along their path to recovery and an opportunity to meet other wounded warriors who face similar challenges.
Thank you to the 2025 Presenting Sponsor, Navy Safe Harbor Foundation, and Supporting Sponsor, Deloitte, for their generous support.*
About the Warrior Games
The Department of Defense Warrior Games, hosted by The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, enhances wounded warriors' recovery and rehabilitation by providing a sense of camaraderie and achievable goals to work toward. The purpose isn't to identify the most skilled athletes but rather to demonstrate the incredible potential of wounded warriors through competitive sports.
The focus is on recovery through adaptive sports, giving competitors from all service branches across the U.S. military an opportunity to train and compete with fellow warriors and support each other through their recovery journeys. First held in 2010, the Warrior Games often represent the culmination of a service member’s involvement in an adaptive sports program and demonstrate the incredible potential of wounded warriors through competitive sports.
The 2025 Warrior Games will be held in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Sports
Teams at Warrior Games Challenge include active-duty service members and veterans with serious wounds, injuries, and illnesses, both visible and invisible. The Paralympic-style competitive event will feature 12 sports: archery, cycling, field, golf, indoor rowing, precision air sports (shooting), powerlifting, track, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair rugby.
Archery
Whether athletes are practicing at home or competing during the DoD Warrior Games, attention and focus are the keys to success. From the types of bows used in competition to the sport’s origin, click here to learn more about archery.
Field
Field is comprised of two events: discus and shot put. Discus and shot put are two of the oldest field events in the sport of track and field. Both depend on explosive strength. However, it’s not just muscle power that helps athletes dominate in this sport. Shot putters and discus throwers also need quickness to generate momentum. From the explaining the term athletics to the Paralympic Games history, click here to learn more about field.
Powerlifting
Powerlifting is one of the Paralympic Movement’s fastest-growing sports in terms of participation. Although weightlifting made its Paralympic debut at Tokyo 1964, it was not until the 1984 Games that powerlifting was first included as a Paralympic sport. From the sport’s Paralympic Games history to explaining the difference between weightlifting and powerlifting, click here to learn more about powerlifting.
Sitting Volleyball
Sitting volleyball is a fast and exciting spectator sport, demanding excellent reactions, great upper body strength, stamina, balance, and tactical awareness. From the sport’s origin to explaining why one team member wears a different color jersey, click here to learn more about sitting volleyball.
Cycling
With cycling, your body is your engine, so it’s important to take care of it, especially off the bike. Fueling your body well, while eating a well-rounded nutritional diet and not burdening it with excess calories from junk food, is one of the key components to success. Click here to learn more about cycling.
Indoor Rowing
Rowing machines use up to 86% of your muscles, according to the National Institute of Health. This, in turn, helps increase endurance, strengthens, and tones muscles. Rowing also provides benefits to your heart and lungs. Although, it’s typically considered low-impact for the average user, rowing burns serious calories without putting the added stress on your joints. It allows you to control the movement and pace. From an overview of indoor rowing’s origins to competition style, click here to learn more about the sport.
Shooting
Shooting is the ultimate test of accuracy and control. In this precision sport, athletes use focus and controlled breathing to reduce their heart hearts and improve stability and high performance. This ability to steady hand and mind to deliver a sequence of shots requires well-developed powers of concentration and emotional control. This sport is all about coordination, balance, control and precision. From the sport’s Paralympic Games history to explaining the competition style, click here to learn more about shooting.
Swimming
Swimming was one of the original Paralympic sports and has grown into the second-most popular in terms of TV viewers. The Paralympic pool measures the same length as the Olympic pool, at 50m in length and 25m wide. From the explaining the difference between road and track cycling to the sport’s origin, click here to learn more about swimming.
Come Aboard
If you are not already enrolled in Navy Wounded Warrior, contact us at 855-NAVY WWP/855-628-9997 or via email at navywoundedwarrior.fct@navy.mil to determine your eligibility. Navy Wounded Warrior hosts a series of adaptive athletic reconditioning camps at naval bases throughout the country that focus on strength training, nutrition and a variety of sports. Active-duty athletes of all ability levels are welcome, with limited space for veterans. The program also involves enrollees in camps hosted by partner organizations and international competitions, such as the Invictus Games.
Follow Navy Wounded Warrior on Facebook and Instagram and keep an eye on the News & Events section of the website for announcements about upcoming camp deadlines.
Numquam Navigare Solus – Never to Sail Alone
Sailors and Coast Guardsmen may self-refer to Navy Wounded Warrior, or be referred by a family member, their command leadership or their medical team. Contact the Navy Wounded Warrior call center at 855-NAVY WWP / 855-628-9997, or email navywoundedwarrior.fct@navy.mil.