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DEFENDER EXTENDS INVICTUS GAMES BACKING AHEAD OF BIRMINGHAM 2027 EVENT
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DEFENDER EXTENDS INVICTUS GAMES BACKING AHEAD OF BIRMINGHAM 2027 EVENT

10 July 2026

Wheelchair Rugby taking place as part of the Invictus Games 

One Year to Go event at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham

  • Defender to serve as Official Automotive Partner of Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 and Presenting Partner of Wheelchair Rugby
  • Extended support for armed forces community marks the start of the one‑year countdown to Birmingham 2027
  • Defender will provide volunteers to help stage the Games in Birmingham, UK, the brand’s design and engineering heartland
  • JLR and its Defender brand have supported the Invictus Movement since the inaugural Invictus Games London 2014
  • With 1,600 former military employees, JLR is proud to support the Games for wounded, injured and sick armed forces personnel

Defender has reinforced its commitment to the armed forces community, announced as Official Automotive Partner as the one‑year countdown to Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 begins.

Extending its steadfast support for the Games, taking place in the brand’s UK heartland, Defender will provide volunteers to help at the Games and will also be Presenting Partner of Wheelchair Rugby.

DEFENDER EXTENDS INVICTUS GAMES BACKING AHEAD OF BIRMINGHAM 2027 EVENT
DEFENDER EXTENDS INVICTUS GAMES BACKING AHEAD OF BIRMINGHAM 2027 EVENT

JLR and its Defender brand have supported the international event for wounded, injured and sick (WIS) service personnel and veterans since it began in 2014. Next year, up to 550 competitors from 26 countries will compete in a range of adaptive sports at the National Exhibition Centre and Sandwell Aquatics Centre, situated in the British Midlands, where the legendary 4x4 is designed and engineered by a dedicated team that includes veterans.

The bond between Defender and those who have served their country is strong. Since 2014, JLR has employed more than 1,600 people globally with previous service in the British Armed Forces and other international military organisations. 

As a signatory of the UK Armed Forces Covenant, the business creates employment pathways for service leavers, provides flexible support for spouses during and after their partners’ deployment and helps colleagues who serve with reserve forces.

Defender’s support for Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 extends to Presenting Partner for the Wheelchair Rugby competition. A sport defined by strength, teamwork and resilience, Wheelchair Rugby reflects the qualities embodied by the WIS community and celebrated by Defender through its longstanding commitment to rugby at all levels. 

Defender is all about embracing the impossible and that is exactly what the competitors at Birmingham 2027 will be doing. This shared value of taking on difficult challenges and never giving up is why we have supported the Invictus Movement for more than a decade.

Seeing the competitors at the Invictus Games back here in the UK, so close to the home of Defender, will be truly inspirational. We wish everyone the best of luck for the next 12 months as they get ready for the games.

Lennard Hoornik
Chief Growth Officer, JLR

Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 are delighted to welcome Defender as our Official Automotive Partner and Presenting Partner of Wheelchair Rugby. Defender's commitment to the Armed Forces community and the Invictus Movement is deep and longstanding, and we look forward to continuing that relationship.

Defender is synonymous with Birmingham and the West Midlands and that makes this a natural and exciting partnership. We’re also excited to share their support for our passionate volunteering community as part of this announcement. Defender volunteers will join forces with our Invictus Games volunteer team and together they'll play a vital role delivering a fantastic Games experience for competitors, their families and the wider West Midlands community.

Chris Conneally
Managing Director, Invictus Games Birmingham 2027

Further information

Notes to Editors

ABOUT DEFENDER

Defender embraces the impossible. Each member of the Defender family is purposefully designed, highly desirable and seriously durable. A modern‑day hero that respects the past but at the same time anticipates the future.

Available in 90, 110 and 130 body styles, with up to eight seats, each has a charisma of its own.

Defender can be specified from a range of powertrain options, including Defender 110 as an electric hybrid. 

Defender Hard Top means business, with 90 and 110 body styles for professional capability.

The tough luxury Defender OCTA is the master of extreme performance – taking performance and capability to another level on and off‑road. 

A beacon of liberty that can trace its roots back to the first Land Rover in 1948, Defender is a brand that supports humanitarian and conservation work with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Tusk Trust. 

The Defender brand is underpinned by Land Rover – a mark of trust built on more than 75 years of expertise in technology and world‑renowned off‑road capability.

Defender is designed and engineered in the UK and sold in 121 countries. It forms part of JLR's portfolio of distinctive British brands. 

 

ABOUT INVICTUS GAMES BIRMINGHAM 2027

Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 will be hosted at the NEC, with ceremonies, sport, a research conference, festival, and accommodation located on one integrated site; swimming will take place at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre. Birmingham 2027 will welcome 550 competitors from 26 nations, with an estimated 150,000 supporters attending events across the city. Through its Impact Programme, Birmingham 2027 will create meaningful recovery opportunities for more than 1,500 wounded, injured and sick personnel and their families, while generating benefits for Birmingham and the West Midlands through jobs, skills, and community engagement.

 

ABOUT THE INVICTUS GAMES

Founded by Prince Harry in 2014, the Invictus Games is a biennial international adaptive sporting event that uses competitive sport to support the recovery of WIS service personnel and veterans. Seven Games have been held to date, bringing together 26 nations and more than 3,000 competitors. While international in scale, recovery remains at the heart of the Games, providing a structured pathway for participants with physical and non‑visible injuries and driving wider social change by challenging perceptions of disability and strengthening the connection between the Armed Forces and society.

 

ABOUT JLR’S SUPPORT TO THE ARMED FORCES COMMUNITY

JLR is proud to support the Armed Forces community and remains committed to creating meaningful opportunities for service leavers, veterans, reservists and military families.

This commitment is demonstrated through JLR's longstanding support of the Armed Forces Covenant, which the company first signed in 2014. In 2026, JLR marked 12 years of its Covenant commitment and celebrated the revalidation of its Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award in 2025 for a further five years. This is the third consecutive time JLR has achieved the highest level of recognition, reflecting its sustained support for the Armed Forces community.

Since 2014, JLR has employed more than 1,600 employees globally with previous service in the British Armed Forces and other international military organisations. These colleagues bring valuable skills, experience and leadership to the business and are supported through their transition to civilian careers, with opportunities for development, training and long‑term career progression.

JLR's employee‑led Armed Forces Community Network also continue to help foster connection, camaraderie and a continued sense of belonging for veterans, reservists, military families and allies across the business beyond recruitment and career development, JLR supports the wider Armed Forces community through volunteering, fundraising and charitable initiatives led by the Armed Forces Community Network. 

The network also plays an important role in commemorating military service and supporting veterans. Recent activities have included hosting Second World War veterans and their carers at JLR's Gaydon Headquarters as part of the VE Day 80 commemorations, as well as supporting D‑Day 80 events in Normandy, where employee volunteers helped chauffeur veterans to commemorative activities, ensuring they could participate in these landmark occasions.

JLR was the Presenting Partner for the inaugural Invictus Games London 2014.

Through these initiatives, JLR continues to honour the contribution of those who have served while strengthening its connection to the Armed Forces community, past and present.

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