Lil'wat artist near tears as he unveils medals to be used in Prince Harry-led Invictus Games in B.C.
The games, which honour military veterans, are in Vancouver and Whistler Feb. 8-16
Levi Nelson had to hold back his tears when he opened the cedar box containing the medals for the 2025 Invictus Games.
The artist from the Lil'wat Nation designed the hardware, and seeing it for the first time brought a rush of emotions.
"I was overwhelmed," Nelson said Wednesday after the medals were unveiled. "To see something go from paper to gold, and especially to see a Coast Salish design rendered in gold, was very meaningful to me. It was a magical moment."
Nelson, a contemporary painter, incorporated several Coast Salish symbols into the design, including a war paddle, half of the ancestral eye, and triangles and waves that represent mountains and valleys.
Held in Vancouver and Whistler from Feb. 8-16, the Invictus Games will see 462 medals handed out at 167 ceremonies.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, founded the Games about a decade ago to champion post-injury achievements of wounded, injured and sick military veterans and other service personnel.
"This year's medals represent unity, courage, and victory," he said in a statement. "We come together as a global community to honour the extraordinary strength, resilience, and brilliance of our competitors and their families for all they have overcome and where they are today. For many, victory is simply reaching the start line, and I, for one, am immensely proud of every single one of them."
This year marks the seventh time the Games are being held. Toronto previously acted as host in 2017.
This year's iteration will kick off in Vancouver on Feb. 8 with opening ceremonies featuring Katy Perry and Noah Kahan. The competition will then see up to 550 athletes from 23 nations take part in 11 adaptive sports, including — for the first time — winter events such as skiing, snowboarding, biathlon and skeleton.
For Nelson, working on the medals marked a chance to share his Coast Salish culture with the world.
"The most exciting thing is that the traditional designs from my Salish people are going around the necks around these soldiers and competitors in the Games and they'll be bringing them home to their home countries," he said.
"It's really meaningful to me and it just keeps getting bigger."
