NWT formally declines to host Arctic Winter Games in 2028

The Northwest Territories will turn down the chance to host the Arctic Winter Games in 2028, the communities minister says.

Vince McKay said there were “a range of reasons” why the NWT could not take on hosting the multi-sport event, which brings together athletes from Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Scandinavia.

The 2026 Arctic Winter Games will be in Whitehorse, which stepped in to host the event after Russia’s Yamal region, which was to have been the host, was suspended over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Yellowknife turned down the chance to act as an emergency host in 2026 before Whitehorse offered to fill the gap. At the time, Yellowknife local leaders expressed concern about having enough money and capacity to cope.

That sent an early signal that the territorial capital might be unwilling to host in 2028, which was the NWT’s scheduled slot among the rotating list of Arctic Winter Games host jurisdictions.

On Thursday, McKay confirmed no NWT community could be found that was happy to take on the games, which were last hosted in the territory by Fort Smith and Hay River in a 2018 joint event that was widely regarded as a success, though it exhausted the small communities’ volunteer bases.

“While engaging with potential host communities, several common concerns emerged,” McKay said in a statement.

He said those concerns were “decreased volunteer and community capacities” and a lack of facilities, accommodation, food services, health services and other supports for the thousands of travelling athletes, spectators and volunteers.

“Many NWT communities are also still recovering from recent emergency events and long-lasting impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic. Delaying hosting will allow the territory to improve its capacity to host future events,” McKay stated.

He said he has asked the Arctic Winter Games International Committee, which oversees the organizing of the games, to consider the NWT “beyond 2030 instead.”

That committee’s president, John Rodda, said earlier this year that the sustainability of the games – and ensuring the event remains manageable for hosts – were key topics on the agenda.

“How we’ve done business in the past doesn’t really work as well in terms of how we need to function and operate together going forward,” he told Cabin Radio in March.

One option being explored is moving the Arctic Winter Games from every two years to every three years.

The composition of sports in the 54-year-old event could also be altered. Climate change, meanwhile, is placing extra strain on the games by gradually limiting the areas that have the right conditions for some outdoor winter sports.

“Going forward, we will continue to engage with the AWGIC to address concerns about the sustainability of the Arctic Winter Games given their size and frequency under the current hosting model and the resultant impacts on host communities,” McKay stated.

There is no listed backup jurisdiction for 2028 so the international committee will likely have to issue the same kind of appeal it did to find Whitehorse as an emergency host for 2026 – or look to reschedule or cancel the 2028 edition.

“How willing and how capable are the governments? Yes, it’s going to go to the Yukon and Whitehorse. Who else has an interest for 2028 if 2028 becomes the focus?” Rodda said in March, foreseeing this problem.

“Same for 2030. If we modify the rotation, what does that look like? They’re all pieces of dialogue.”