Hay River (Apr 04/05) - The South Slave and Yellowknife will each roll out the red carpet this week for a delegation from the Arctic Winter Games International Committee.

The five-member delegation will evaluate the two bids for the 2008 Arctic Winter Games, which will be awarded to a community in the NWT.

Town of Hay River employee Warren Gibb helps install Arctic Winter Games banners on light standards. The banners will welcome a delegation visiting this week to assess bids for the 2008 games from the South Slave and Yellowknife. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

They will visit the South Slave on April 4 and 5 before flying on to Yellowknife.

"This is essentially the last opportunity to provide information to the committee before they decide who is awarded the games for 2008," said Todd Shafer, executive director of the South Slave bid committee.

Bid organizers in Hay River have a number of events planned, including a pep rally Monday afternoon at the town's arena.

More than 500 people are expected to demonstrate the community's enthusiasm for the games, Shafer says. "We want to pack the place."

From there, the committee will be taken on a tour of the community's facilities. The bid committee will also be flown to Fort Smith and back on April 5, with fly-overs of Fort Resolution and Enterprise.

Flying athletes to Fort Smith from Hay River is a major part of the South Slave bid, and Shafer says the flight will give the bid assessment committee a first-hand look at the trip. Hay River would be official host community if the Wouth Slave wins the bid, but the games would also involve Fort Smith, the Hay River Reserve, Enterprise and Fort Resolution.

In Yellowknife, Mayor Gordon Van Tighem, chair of the city's bid committee, says the AWG delegation will meet the promoters behind the bid and tour facilities.

Van Tighem says the plan is to visit every proposed venue for the games. The city will also promote its considerable experience hosting the Arctic Winter Games.

"If we get this one, it will be our fifth," Van Tighem noted, adding he hopes experience will be a deciding factor.

The South Slave hosted the games once - in 1978 when Pine Point was also involved as a host location.

The five members of the visiting delegation will be Alaska's Wendell Shiffler, bid committee chair and vice-president of the AWG International Committee; John Rodda of Alaska; Lloyd Bentz and Sharon Clarkson, both of northern Alberta; and Marilyn Neily of Nunavut.

The delegation will report to the full 12-member international committee, which will vote on awarding the games.