The Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française (FJCF) will hold the 2025 Canadian Francophone Games in Yellowknife.
The NWT’s Fédération franco-ténoise originally bid to host the Games in 2023. The pandemic postponed this year’s Games in Victoria by two years, consequently delaying the Yellowknife Games as well.
The Canadian Francophone Games have been held every three years since 1999, uniting hundreds of French-speaking youth athletes in around a dozen sports, arts, and leadership activities.
“We were pleased to receive an application from a community where the Games have never been held. It’s all the more exciting to consider hosting this event in the North for the first time,” said Sue Duguay, FJCF president, in a news release.
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The CBC earlier reported Yellowknife was the only applicant to host the Games.
“The holding of the Canadian Francophone Games in Yellowknife is superb news … It is high time that we work to make the colours of our northern Francophonie better known in Canada,” said Linda Bussey, president of the bid committee and executive director of the NWT Fédération franco-ténoise, in the same news release.
In July 2019, Yellowknife councillors agree to donate just over $53,000 in facility space for the duration of the weeklong event, which will take place in July 2025.
“The hosting of the Francophone Games in Yellowknife will assist in council achieving the goal of growing and diversifying the economy by potentially injecting approximately $400,000 dollars into our community over a five-day period,” a briefing note for councillors read.
