Fargo a bust; Oklahoma may host

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The 1999 North American Indigenous Games will not be hosted at Fargo, North Dakota.

The planned Fargo version of the games was officially trashed by a decision of the NAIG council executive meeting in Fargo on Oct. 10.

"It is sad council had to make this choice but, for the sake of the games, council had to do something," said council secretary Roy Desjarlais, who represents the Northwest Territories.

"We as a council take some responsibility," he confessed, but he made no excuses for the host community, which he said was part and parcel of the problem.

Desjarlais and vice-president Bo Young from Florida admit that the games were not taken seriously enough by organizers in Fargo. They said that Tex Hall, the executive officer for the games, did not show up for meetings and did not apply early enough for grants or financial contributions even though he had a lot of lead time. Desjarlais confessed that council was not assertive enough, especially with deadlines. In hindsight, he said, perhaps the council should not have permitted the extensions they did. Fargo was allowed extension last spring, then again in mid-summer.

Fargo organizers were relying on funding from the United States federal government, which has set aside $25 million for millennium projects. But, when it came to short-listing the applicants for that funding, the government gave priority to those who had applied earliest. Because the games submission was on the bottom half of the pile, said Desjarlais, "that left Fargo out."

Young said Fargo didn't meet the criteria set forth by the deadline.

"They only raised $45,000 and had a commitment for another $10,000 from one of the area tribes in North Dakota," he said. The $55,000 is certainly a far cry from the $3.4 million that is needed. This shortfall contributed largely as a factor in the decision of the NAIG council to take the games away from Fargo, he said.

Where does that leave the games now? It's possible they'll be moved to Norman, Oklahoma, which has been waiting in the wings as the alternate in case something like this happened. However, it is doubtful, even if the organizers in Norman can come up with the money, facilities, and accommodations, that they will be able to host the games before the year 2000, said Young.

The games were offered to Oklahoma during the same meeting that the decision to pull the plug on Fargo was made. Bill Barnett, who sits on council as the representative for Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Louisiana, was asked if Norman was interested in taking on the task. He said he'd take that offer back to his community and see if there's a willingness to do it.

Barnett said he'll need "all sorts of help" if the games are to go ahead in Oklahoma. He attended both the '95 and '97 games and he is excited about the opportunity, even if it means a lot of pressure given the short time he has to work with.

The city of Norman, home of the University of Oklahoma, has good sports facilities and can also rely on facilities in Oklahoma City which is a mere 15-minute drive away.

"I believe we can do it; we need to capitalize on resource persons," said Barnett, adding he has a number of very good contacts with people linked to the corporate sector. "We're already on the search for this kind of funding."

Barnett said he intends to bring someone on board to write proposals and seek grant money.

"We'll contract very professional fundraising organizations . . . approach people we know who worked with the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia in '96," he said.

When questioned about time frames, Desjarlais said the council will have a better idea at the end of October, after they hold their next meeting.

If it's decided that Oklahoma can't pull it off, the teams will all have to wait until the 2002 games in Manitoba, said Young, who added there's a lot of work to be done on Oklahoma's part and the picture will not likely be any clearer for at least three to five months.

The effects of the swich to Oklahoma will mean Canadian teams will have to increase their budgets to provide for such a long trip. For many Canadians, it will mean increased travel by at least 1,600 km.

The miscues will create a number of problems for regional organizers. If the games are canceled, all work done to this point is wasted. If the games are delayed, what about the qualifiers the provinces conducted for 1999? Will they have to incur the added effort and expense of holding them again because there will now be a longer time period before the games in Oklahoma?