The next edition of the North American Indigenous Games will be delayed by a year until 2028 after Calgary’s hosting rights for 2027 were withdrawn.
The NAIG Council, which oversees the Games, said in August it was retracting Calgary’s status as the next host because “critical benchmarks” had not been met.
In a news release on Friday, the council said the next NAIG will now be pushed back to 2028 and a “new, Canada-wide bid process is being developed to identify a host community.”
That process is expected to launch in November.
Age categories will be adjusted to ensure athletes eligible to compete in 2027 will remain eligible in 2028, the council added.
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The Northwest Territories sends delegations of hundreds of athletes to each edition of NAIG. Team NT won 11 medals at the last NAIG, staged in Nova Scotia in 2023.
Lowa Beebe, who was the chief executive officer of Calgary 2027’s host society, has suggested some form of Indigenous multi-sport event may yet take place in the city that summer, in spite of the NAIG Council’s decision.
