麻豆社区

The fight to reinstate six key sports to the 2016 Arctic Winter Games in Greenland continues this weekend.

The Yukon's deputy premier and Minister of Community Services Elaine Taylor as well as independent Vuntut Gwitchin MLA Darius Elias will head to Vancouver B.C. for a special meeting convened by the Arctic Winter Games International Committee for May 5.

The two local politicians will join ministers and political leaders from all six permanent member jurisdictions 鈥� Northern Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Alaska, and Greenland 鈥� to review options for the inclusion of all sports at the 2016 event.

In November, the territorial government unanimously supported a motion put forward by Elias that endorsed Taylor's efforts to ensure that speedskating, figure skating, curling, gymnastics, midget hockey and dog mushing are included in the upcoming Arctic Winter Games in Nuuk, Greenland.

In September 2012, the Games' international committee officially cut the six major sports from the Games due to a limited hosting capacity and lack of facilities in the country's capital city.

Since then, Taylor and ministers responsible for sport in the N.W.T. and Nunavut have been lobbying to have the sports reinstated.

In October, the international committee committed to review and cost out the option of splitting host duties between Greenland and Iqaluit. Greenland previously co-hosted with the Nunavut capital in 2002.

After those Games, the international committee decided against co-hosting future games due to concerns over cost, logistics and the quality of the Games experience for attending athletes.

"The Arctic Winter Games are a pivotal aspect of our sport development system,鈥� Taylor said in a press release. "The discussions at the meeting this weekend are essential not only to the success of the 2016 Games, but also to the future of the Games going forward.

"Our goal is to enable young northern athletes to participate in a full Arctic Winter Games experience.鈥�

When news that the six major sports were going to be slashed from the 2016 program broke, Taylor told the Star that stakeholders across the Yukon were "very concerned.鈥�

Removing gymnastics and ice-based sports from the North's premier sporting tournament represented a cut of approximately 25 per cent of the event's total athletes, a "significant鈥� number according to Taylor.

"The Arctic Winter Games are vital for our young people across the North and necessary for them to learn to compete to the best of their ability,鈥� said Elias.

"I strongly believe in the importance of the games and I am pleased to help represent Yukon to make sure that our youth have opportunities at the world's premier northern sport and cultural event.鈥�

The international committee oversees the high-profile circumpolar sport competition by defining the strategic direction for the Games, selecting host cities, awarding the Hodgson Trophy for fair play and team spirit, and providing overall governance.

Teams from all six permanent member jurisdictions along with Team Sapmi, Team Yamal and Team Nunavik are scheduled to participate in the 2016 Games.