Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Mar 11/02) - All around the city, people are getting ready for the Games.

The bleachers at the NTI Arctic Winter Games Plaza are empty now, but by next Sunday, they'll be full, said AWG host society external relations manager Tamara Macpherson.

She says colourful pageantry, excited athletes, spectators, media and smells wafting from the canteen will fill the empty space.

About 900 athletes and officials are expected in Iqaluit. The same number is expected to travel to Nuuk, Greenland, which is co-hosting the 2002 Arctic Winter Games.

In Iqaluit, close to 800 volunteers in 65 different committees are busy putting the final touches to preparations.

Macpherson says the athlete's village and sporting venues are ready.

In other parts of the city, Baffin Correctional Centre inmates are building doghouses for dog teams. City workers are trucking water to the FOL site, pouring it over the rocks to give it an icy glow.

Government departments are preparing displays, taxi companies are putting more cars on the road, and the city is finalizing public transportation details.

Store owners are putting out AWG merchandise and restaurant and hotel owners are also making sure everything is in order when tourists, media, athletes and cultural delegates start arriving.

"We're ready," says Rainer Launhardt, manager of the Frobisher Inn. The hotel, booked to capacity since January, will likely extend its restaurant and coffee shop hours during the games.

Allison Brewer, co-chair of the media and public relations committee is preparing for 150 journalists from North America, Europe and Japan.

The committee is organizing a reception at the Navigator Inn, where many will taste country food for the first time. "We're plugging away at it," said Brewer. "Now it's just making sure all the balls come down in the right place."

Mayor John Matthews says the city is stepping up its services during the Games, and will make extra trips to ensure the NTI plaza has enough water.

He congratulated the host society on an "amazing job.

"We're looking forward to it," he said. "Barring any unforseen catastrophe or bad weather, things should go well."