Team Ontario upset with housing plan

There's a chance one of the largest teams of athletes set to compete at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) could be pulling out of the event. Officials with Team Ontario, a squad comprised of about 500 athletes and an additional 100 coaches, sport leaders or chaperones, are upset with NAIG organizers and the housing arrangements they've made for them.
The Games are scheduled for July 2 to 9 in Denver, Colorado.

Team Ontario was originally supposed to stay at the University of Colorado located in Boulder, about a 45-minute drive from Denver. But during a pre-NAIG tour on May 8 and 9, Team Ontario's chef de mission Kris Johnson discovered Games' officials had moved her club to the National Western Complex.

This Denver-based facility plays host to various events, including rodeos and livestock competitions.

NAIG organizers plan to bring in cots for the athletes and team members to sleep on. Those staying at the complex would also be using portable washrooms.

Besides Team Ontario, squads representing Quebec, Nova Scotia, New York, Oregon, Nebraska and South Dakota have also been assigned to the National Western Complex.

Johnson said NAIG officials plan to bring in poles and drapes to section off each team. But she's concerned about privacy and security.

"It's not what we were originally expecting, or what we were originally assigned to," Johnson said.

Following the tour, officials with Team Ontario, which is operated by the Ontario Aboriginal Sports Circle (OASC), wrote to NAIG officials requesting a move. Johnson said a response was requested by May 17 (after press time).

If a move was not granted, Johnson said the OASC's board of governors would meet to discuss their next step. An option would include pulling out of the Games.

"I have no idea," Johnson said, when asked what she thought the chances of that happening might be. "I can't predict what will happen." The housing issue is obviously a major concern for Team Ontario. But Johnson said there was no need yet to start pressing the panic button.

"We don't want to alarm the athletes and the communities of Ontario," she said. "Let's just wait until we see what happens before we decide what to do."

Tyrone Lockhart, NAIG's director of Games Operations, confirmed Team Ontario's request for a move had been received. And it was passed on to NAIG's venue staff.

"The fact (Team Ontario's) team size is so large doesn't give us a lot of options," Lockhart said. "People would like a nice, cushioned dorm. But the reality is we don't have 6,000 of these."

This year's NAIG could attract as many as 10,000 participants. But various teams have made their own housing arrangements and will stay in area hotels.

Lockhart added it was unlikely NAIG officials would be able to report back to Team Ontario's brass by May 17.

"Right now that's just not feasible given our (busy) schedule," Lockhart told Windspeaker in a phone interview on May 16.

Lockhart said Team Ontario officials could expect a response perhaps by May 19 or May 22.
Lockhart said if NAIG officials could not accommodate the request for a move, it would be up to Team Ontario's brass to decide whether they would indeed pull out of the Games over this issue.
Lockhart added the National Western Complex has on numerous occasions been utilized as a housing facility. He recalled about 8,000 youth slept there during a papal visit about a decade ago.
And numerous basketball and softball squads have stayed there in recent years while participating in local tournaments.