Calgary hopes to stage some form of event after loss of NAIG

Lowa Beebe is confident an Indigenous multi-sport event will be held in Calgary in summer 2027, but it won’t the North American Indigenous Games.

The NAIG Council said on August 7 it was withdrawing Calgary’s hosting rights to the 2027 Games. NAIG Council officials were expected to provide an update in the coming weeks on how they would move forward.

Whether the council will simply move NAIG to another city for 2027 has yet to be addressed.

Beebe, who was serving as the chief executive officer of the Calgary host society, said those planning what would have been the 2027 NAIG are not waiting to hear the NAIG Council’s decision.

Rebranding discussions have already taken place to stage a new multi-sport event in Calgary, said Beebe.

In an August 15 statement, the host society cited the “deeply disappointing decision” of the NAIG Council alongside “shifting requirements and unreasonable demands.” The society alleged operational funding had been withheld, leading to a lack of resources needed “to plan and deliver the Games as envisioned.” 

“The North American Indigenous Games were founded to be Indigenous-led and Indigenous-driven. That principle has been lost in this process,” said host society chair Wilton Littlechild in the statement.

“While this decision is a setback, it is not the end. We will move forward with a new vision that stays true to our values, guided by the spirit of sport, culture and reconciliation.”

Beebe said there’s already been a lot of planning done, “so we’re going to see what we can still go ahead with the planning and the relationship building that we’re doing.”

She said three weekly organizational meetings will be held to determine next steps for those seeking to establish a new Games in Calgary. The first meeting will be on Thursday.

“I’m hoping [rebranding happens] fairly soon because we have the interest,” Beebe said. “Part of our major disappointment was those athletes.… that are going to be certain ages for that summer and were already having several tryouts. 

“People were already calling us for hotels and the best place to stay. So we do know that there was major interest, for sure, for it happening in Calgary. And so we want to make sure we make fast decisions if we’re going to be moving forward.”

The next NAIG had been scheduled for July 25-31, 2027. Beebe said she’s hopeful a rebranded Games will be staged that summer, but not necessarily during the previously announced dates.

“They weren’t clear on their release,” she said of whether NAIG Council would hold a 2027 Games of its own.

“They just said to stay tuned. But I do know for ourselves, if you’re planning an event with thousands of athletes in a major city, we definitely want to keep the momentum going.”

NAIG Council officials said they opted to withdraw Calgary’s hosting rights in part because critical benchmarks were not met.

Beebe said the challenges the Calgary host society faced were in large part because it did not have its actual hosting agreement in place.

NAIG Council awarded the 2027 Games to Calgary in July 2023. Beebe said the host society was placed on probation from the start, needing to meet certain criteria set by the NAIG Council in order to receive the hosting agreement.

Beebe said promised funding for the Games from Tourism Calgary was withheld. And without a hosting agreement, the host society could not receive any provincial or federal funding that previous Games’ operators had received.

“The host agreement is what needs to be in place before we can accept private sponsorships or accept grants,” Beebe said. “If they’re not going to give you the host agreement, then they won’t allow you to accept funds.”

Beebe said that won’t be an issue if a rebranded Games are established.

“Going forward, we’re not working with NAIG, so we’ll be able to accept the funds that we want to accept,” she said.