Photo by Vince Fedoroff
FLAG RELAY BEGINS 鈥� Community Services Minister Elaine Taylor, athletes Colin Abbott and Logan Roots, and mayor Dan Curtis help raise the Canada Games flag at the Canada Games Centre today. Whitehorse is the first stop on the flag's journey. The flag will fly in Whitehorse for three days, and will make its way to Sherbrooke, Que. for August 2.
After months of government attempts to reinstate six sports to the 2016 Arctic Winter Games in Greenland, the Games' international committee has upheld its decision and will advance accordingly.
After months of government attempts to reinstate six sports to the 2016 Arctic Winter Games in Greenland, the Games' international committee has upheld its decision and will advance accordingly.
The Games' governing body has announced it will continue with the approved sport program for the Games in Greenland, which excludes midget hockey, dog mushing, curling, speedskating, figure skating and gymnastics.
However, the northern governments from the three Canadian territories, along with Alaska, have committed to work together to ensure that those eliminated sports will have an alternate multi-sport venue.
The Northwest Territories is spearheading the committee, which will research and provide options for a non-affiliated alternate event for the excluded sports. Any such event would need to be conducted outside of the official Games contract.
"Providing a multi-sport competition for young athletes across the circumpolar north is key to the continued growth and development of our sport community,鈥� said Yukon Community Services Minister Elaine Taylor in a press release.
"Hosting an event such as this will give our youth the opportunity to compete in a multi-sport environment, and will ensure continued momentum in the development of sport across the North, in keeping with the vision of the Arctic Winter Games tradition.鈥�
The newly-formed committee will work to identify a jurisdiction to host the excluded sports, including possible locations in N.W.T., Yukon, Nunavut and Iceland.
"There will be logistical considerations to look at,鈥� explained N.W.T. Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Robert McLeod. "However, we are confident that an alternate event will be planned and will give the athletes a very important sporting experience.鈥�
The committee is being asked to report back to government by October 2013.
In an interview with the Star this morning, longtime Arctic Winter Games International Committee president Gerry Thick said the original decision to allow Nuuk, Greenland to host 鈥� and eliminate the six sports due to lack of infrastructure and hosting capacity 鈥� was agreed to by each of the governments in question.
"We have a contract with Greenland and these governments have agreed to that contract,鈥� he said.
"Greenland expects us to live up to our agreement.鈥�
A meeting of the minds in Vancouver last month concluded with Iceland entering the equation as a possible host partner with Greenland after Iqaluit, Nunavut withdrew.
Thick said each of the six permanent member jurisdictions will need to come to an agreement to change the way the Arctic Winter Games is held if changes are going to be made in the future. For now, each of the jurisdictions has the right to host the northern tournament.
"If they want to advise a different outlook on what the Arctic Winter Games is going to be, then it would take all of them (to decide that),鈥� he said. "It can't be changed on a whim.鈥�
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