The NWT government has defended its decision to scale back Arctic Winter Games tryouts, saying the alternative was sending a smaller team.
Trials to make Team NT for Whitehorse 2026 are expected to take place almost exclusively in Yellowknife.
Organizer Sport North has said that decision, rather than using multiple communities as was previously the case, came from the GNWT.
Sales of lottery tickets, which generate funding for youth sports in the NWT, have fallen in recent years.
Sport North said restricting trials to the Yellowknife area reflected “financial realities,” though the organization – which oversees sports administration in the territory using GNWT cash – said it shared concerns expressed by the Town of Hay River.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Last month, Hay River deputy mayor Keith Dohey said in a letter that “centralizing the trials in Yellowknife creates barriers for many athletes across the Northwest Territories.”
In a statement provided to Cabin Radio on Friday, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs – which is responsible for sports and recreation – said cutting back on trials avoided worse alternatives.
The department said doing so meant “safeguarding the ability to send a full team to the games, rather than reducing the size of the delegation or reducing participant travel support to trials, which would have had a greater impact on athlete participation.”
A full team equates to 363 participants, the department stated. The 2026 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse will run from March 8-15.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Travel estimated at more than $1.2 million
There are wider sustainability questions facing the Arctic Winter Games.
Collectively, money from competing circumpolar nations to keep the Games going appears to be slowly drying up, while climate change is reducing the number of places that could feasibly host many outdoor events.
The NWT has already formally declined to host the 2028 edition of the Games, meaning there is no host in place once the Whitehorse event is over.
Discussions between participating jurisdictions have focused on possibly moving from a two-year to a three-year cycle, changing the composition of the sports on the schedule, and moving earlier in the year to try to ensure availability of snow and the right outdoor conditions.
From 2024: The future of the Arctic Winter Games
The GNWT said the changes to Arctic Winter Games trials were an example of a “response to fiscal constraints.”
“Maca understands and appreciates the concerns raised by the Town of Hay River regarding equitable access to trials. The department remains committed to supporting equitable access to active living opportunities across the NWT and values the longstanding contributions of all communities to the success of Team NT,” Friday’s statement read.
“The estimated cost of travel for both the trials and the Games under this streamlined model is estimated over $1.2 million. The financial impact and cost savings of this approach will be assessed following the completion of the trials and the Games.
“Maca is committed to reviewing the effectiveness of this approach following the completion of the trials and the Games, and values any feedback from communities to help inform future decisions around Team NT trials.”
Aastha Sethi contributed reporting.
