San Diego is one of three finalists in contention to host the 2029 Invictus Games, the organization behind the competition said Wednesday.
The other two cities are Aalborg, Denmark and Daejeon, South Korea.
Disabled military veterans from more than two dozen countries compete in the biannual games.
Andy Soler, the co-chair of San Diego's bid committee, said he likes the city's chances to host.
"I think if you live in San Diego, you can't help but be connected in some way with the military," Soler said.
Getting to the final three starts a monthslong effort to show the selection committee why San Diego should host the games.
If awarded, Soler said the San Diego Convention Center will host most of the competitions.
Selection committee members will visit San Diego in April. In June, the San Diego bid committee will visit London to present to the full Invictus board, Soler said.
Navy veteran Jiesyl Rama is a Team USA athlete who competed at this year's Invictus Games in Vancouver.
Rama was medically retired from the Navy after being injured in the USS Bonhomme Richard fire in 2020. She said having the games in San Diego would be huge for local veterans like her.
"Our communities need Invictus," Rama said. "They need this power and this 'secret sauce' and what the games bring, and (they) bring a lot of healing to people here, too."
That "secret sauce," Soler said, is the camaraderie built among athletes.
"The Invictus movement is a little bit different," he said. "It's not always the best athletes that are chosen to compete in the games."
Instead, competitors are chosen by how they might each benefit, personally, from competing.
"It literally has changed their lives," Soler said. "And that's what it is all about."
The 2029 host city will be announced in July.
