HART has officially been designated as a qualifying event for the 2026 Marine Corps & Air Force Trials (MC&AF Trials) in the United States. HART is organized by the Come Back Alive Foundation and its CBA Initiatives Center, together with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and with the support of the general partner — UGB Ukrgasbank.

The Marine Corps & Air Force Trials is an annual international sporting event organized by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force. It is designed for active-duty service members and veterans who have sustained wounds, injuries, or illnesses during their service. The competition focuses on restoring both the physical and emotional well-being of veterans. The next MC&AF Trials will take place from February 20 to March 3, 2026, at Camp Pendleton, California.

With HART now recognized as a qualifying event, its winners will automatically be included in a long list of candidates — 45 athletes in total. From this list, a selection committee will choose 15 participants who will represent Ukraine at the MC&AF Trials in the United States.

This decision became possible following consultations between the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the HART organizing team, and U.S. representatives. The American side commended the high level of the Ukrainian competition and its approach to preparing veterans for adaptive sports.

In a letter to the Ukrainian organizers, the MC&AF Trials team emphasized the importance of Ukrainian veterans’ participation. Below is an excerpt from their message:

“It is our intent to build on the success of previous years with the UDF team and NGO “Come Back Alive!” that  organize Invictus Games in Ukraine and showed the capacity to ensure high quality  preparation and participation of the Ukrainian national team in the international sports events coming together to participate and complete with the fellow WII service men and women from our United States.  It would be an honor and privilege to host members of your wounded warrior program.”

The U.S. side also stressed that it is important for them to see Ukrainian veterans among the tournament’s competitors.

• compete alongside service members from the United States and other nations;
• gain international sports experience;
• represent Ukraine during the war in which Russia attacked our country;
• strengthen the veteran community and develop adaptive sports in Ukraine.

As a national multisport competition for Ukrainian veterans, HART serves as a platform that opens the path for the ukrainian veterans to step onto the international stage.