Prepare (again) for the next Indigenous games

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First Denver, Colorado in 2006, then Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island in 2008. That's the line-up for the next North American Indigenous Games (NAIG).

British Columbia officials are thrilled Cowichan Valley, with a population of 75,000 people found in 11 small communities, has been selected to host. The official announcement was made Oct. 22 following a NAIG council meeting in Uncasville, Connecticut.

"We're very excited about this both from a community and provincial level," said Graham Bruce, B.C.'s Minister of Skills Development and Labour who was also a co-chair of the Cowichan Valley bid. "It's created quite a buzz here."

Cowichan Valley beat out Regina, Sask., the only other finalist bidding for the 2008 games.

"We have a smaller community than where the games have been held in the past," said Bruce, who is MLA for the Cowichan-Ladysmith provincial riding. "But our team just put together an excellent bid."

The same day Cowichan Valley was awarded its games, it was announced that Denver and Colorado Springs would co-host the games in 2006.

The next games had originally been awarded to Buffalo in 2005. But the NAIG council rescinded the right to host last March when the Buffalo Sports Society failed to provide sufficient documentation in regard to its progress in organizing and funding the event.

After the NAIG council opted to put the '05 games on hold for a year, it re-opened its bid process. But just the joint Denver/Colorado Springs was submitted.

That bid was made by the Native American Sports Council (NASC), a group that has its headquarters in Colorado Springs. The council's mission is to promote athletic excellence and wellness within Native American communities through sports programs.

The games have been held five times since their inception in 1990. Four of those games have been in Canada, including the inaugural one in Edmonton.

The games were also held in Prince Albert, Sask. in 1993, in Victoria, B.C. in 1997 and in Winnipeg in 2002.

So far the only time the games have been staged in the United States was in Blaine, Minnesota in 1995. The 1999 games, which were scheduled for Fargo, N.D., were cancelled.

It's no secret the games have had their best success while in Canada. Mo Smith, NASC's executive director, believes his group will be successful in staging the 2006 games, but he's not interested in comparing his group's efforts to any previous games.

"I never compare apples with oranges," he said, adding NASC has a solid reputation in staging multi-sport events.

NASC is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and is affiliated with several Olympic sports federations.

"Everyone is confident those games (in 2006) will be a success," said NAIG council president Harold Joseph.

Traditionally, the Indigenous games are held over a period ranging from seven to 10 days. Dates for the 2006 games have yet to be finalized but the event will in all likelihood begin in mid-to-late July.

As for the 2008 games, Joseph, one of six NAIG council members on the bid selection committee, said he was impressed with both the Regina and Cowichan Valley bids.

Though he had met political figures from both bid groups during visits to the sites earlier in the year, Joseph was surprised the Cowichan Valley representatives travelled to Connecticut for the final bid presentation on Oct. 22.

"They had their political people there to do their presentation," Joseph said. "Regina didn't do that."

Besides Bruce, the Cowichan Valley contingent in Connecticut included Chief Harvey Alphonse of the Cowichan Tribes.

The Cowichan Valley bid had tremendous support from both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities.

The 2008 games are expected to feature more than 7,000 athletes competing in 16 sports. The games are also expected to bring in an estimated $30 million to the area economy.

With NAIG's 2008 announcement, Bruce added he's pleased another major sportinevent is coming to B.C. The biggest one, of course, is the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Bruce is hoping officials from can share some organizational tips to ensure the best chances of success for both events.