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NUNAVUT
Now that the decision has been made to run a multisport event featuring the six sports axed from the 2016 Arctic Winter Games (AWG), the question remains, where will it be held?

Gymnast Shanti Dias, 9, was Nunavut's youngest athlete at the 2012 Arctic Winter Games. Gymnastics was one of six sports cut from the 2016 AWG but the NWT, Yukon, Nunavut and Alaskan governments are committed to running a multisport event to ensure athletes don't miss out. - NNSL file photo

Initially, the plan was for Iqaluit to host it because many of the planes flying the athletes to Greenland for the games will have to stop over in Nunavut's capital city. However, Iqaluit turned down the offer, according to Community and Government Services Minister Lorne Kusugak.

"They are hosting the two ice hockey events (bantam and female divisions) in Iqaluit for 2016 so they felt they wanted to do that well ... instead of stretching their capacity at that time. And I respect that," said Kusugak. "That is a very good decision on their part."

As a result, a committee led by the NWT was created to choose another location capable of hosting the six sports - midget hockey, gymnastics, figure skating, speedskating, dog mushing and curling. Potential locations include the Yukon, NWT, Nunavut and Iceland, although with Iqaluit out of the running, Kusugak doubts the event will end up in Nunavut.

"We would love to be able to do it. There is just no facility capable of hosting it," he said. "The arena in Rankin for example would be the next best site I would assume but our arena right now just doesn't have capacity."

Still, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter where the games are held as long as athletes are given a chance to show their stuff, Kusugak said. It gives youth a goal to work toward and encourages them to compete at the top level.

Kusugak said he also doesn't take issue with the fact the event won't be affiliated with the 2016 AWG, which was decided by the AWG International Committee.

"It's not just about the Arctic Winter Games; it's not just about those kids that are going to compete at those six sports ... It's all those steps leading up to the games. Those are the important ones," Kusugak said, referring to the many tryouts the athletes have to make it through in order to get into the games. "It starts at the community level."

Nontheless, Kusugak added he believes changes need to be made to the AWG. The event is getting far too big and communities can't host all the events because there are so many. Only Yellowknife, Whitehorse or cities down south have the capacity.

Kusugak suggested looking at doing an Arctic Summer Games to take the pressure off the winter event. Sports such as basketball, volleyball and soccer could be moved to the new games, while other sports could be introduced, including slow-pitch, kayaking and track and field.

The bigger cities could host the AWG and the smaller communities could be responsible for running the summer event, he said.

"The summer games are such that most of the venues are outside anyway so you don't need big facilities to host them. You have the whole outside to play."

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