Arctic Games split between Nuuk and Iqaluit

The capital city of Nunavut is gearing up to host a portion of this year’s Arctic Winter Games.

The majority of the Games, which run from March 6 to March 11, will be staged in Nuuk, Greenland.

But since there are no suitable rinks to stage the hockey competition in Greenland, Games’ organizers opted to move the hockey portion of the event to Iqaluit, Nunavut’s largest city.

Iqaluit is slightly more than 800 kilometres away from Nuuk.

This isn’t the first time, however, that the Games, which have been running every two years since 1970, have been held in two different countries.

“In 2002 Nuuk and Iqaluit co-hosted all of the events,” said Dawn Currie, the host co-ordinator for this year’s hockey tournament.

The Arctic Winter Games feature athletes from the circumpolar north. Representatives from nine contingents take part in the Games.

Five of those contingents are from Canada. Besides Nunavut, teams taking part are from northern Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavik (northern Quebec). Greenland and Alaska will also be represented. And there will also be a Russian team called Yamal and a side called Sapmi, featuring athletes from Finland, Norway, Sweden and parts of Russia.

In order to compete in the Games, athletes need to simply live in one of the areas of the participant squads. Currie though estimates that at least 75 per cent of the Games’ participants will be Aboriginal.

Currie anticipates between 90-95 per cent of the Nunavut hockey players will be Inuit. And she is also anticipating a rather large percentage of the northern Alberta players will be Aboriginal.

About 2,000 athletes took part in the last Games, held in 2014 in Fairbanks, Alaska.

This year’s Iqaluit-based hockey tournament will feature a junior girls’ category for those born in 1997 or later, as well as a bantam boys’ grouping, for those born in 2001 or later. Both divisions will feature five entrants each.

The participating squads in both divisions will be from Nunavut, Alaska, northern Alberta, Northwest Territories and Yukon.

Currie said overseas competitors do not traditionally send ice hockey squads to the Games.

“They bring much smaller teams,” she said. “They tend to focus on some of the individual sports. So they never participate in hockey at these Games.”

Though the hockey segment of the Games will be in Canada, participants will not miss out on some of the associated festivities.

Competing hockey players will drop off their equipment in Iqaluit before flying to Greenland to be a part of the Games’ opening ceremonies.

They will then return to Iqaluit to play their games. And then they will then fly back to Greenland in order to enjoy the Games’ closing ceremonies.

About 200 volunteers will be required to ensure the hockey tournament runs smoothly.

“They’re all working together to host this event,” Currie said.

Since it has been 14 years since Iqaluit co-hosted the Games, organizers have been forced to establish a new list of those willing to lend a hand.

“We’re looking at building a new set of volunteers,” Currie said.

Though only one sport will be contested in Iqaluit this time around, Currie said having the hockey tournament in the northern Canadian city is indeed a huge deal.

“We don’t get a chance to host many events like this,” she said.

As a result, a bit of a buzz is being created in the city prior to the Games’ arrival.

“It also brings enthusiasm and builds pride in the community,” Currie said.

This year’s Games is also being utilized as somewhat of a trial run. That’s because Iqaluit has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2022 Games.

Local organizers are eager to prove they can do a splendid job with the hockey portion as part of a reassurance they can also host the Games on a much larger scale in the future.

A total of 15 sports will be contested at this year’s Games. Besides hockey, some of the other traditional sports include snowboarding, alpine skiing and cross-country skiing.

Indoor sports like badminton, basketball and volleyball are also included.

Participants will also take part in Arctic Sports and Dene Games. Arctic Sports features events such as the one- and two-foot high kick, as well as the kneel jump. Dene Games include events such as the finger pull and pole push.

Currie said the Games will be the athletic highlight for many.

“The Arctic Winter Games is the pinnacle of sport for many for these northern athletes,” she said.

Some participants do go on to compete at elite national and international competitions.

“Those people are few and far between,” she said.