The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) will take place from July 16 to the 23 in Toronto this year, with the spirit of reconciliation a featured theme.
Team 88, highlighted on the official poster for the event, refers to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 88th call to action, directing Canada to support Indigenous sports.
The TRC began on June 2, 2008, and was completed in December 2015. Over the seven years Indigenous people shared their stories and experiences of horrendous abuse, practised and handed down over the generations of Residential Schools in Canada.
Support of these games is one of 94 Calls to Action the Commission issued.
“I think it’s important, because we need to understand what happened in the schools in order to move forward and have a positive relationship,” Hannah Morningstar told CBC News in Toronto.
“Team 88 Day”
Morningstar is one of the athletes, and a Grade 10 student from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, 19 kilometres west of Sudbury, Ontario. She is also the Team 88 ambassador for the Games.
“So we get to reach our own potential and we have the same opportunities.” she said.
To honour the call to action, the City of Toronto declared today, April 19th, 88 days before the Games begin, “Team 88 Day” with celebrations at Nathan Phillips Square, in front of the downtown city hall.
During the occasion, which began with a smudging ceremony and Ojibway prayer read by elder Garry Sault of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, Mayor John Tory drew cheers from the crowd when he announced that indigenous flags will now permanently fly at city hall and said, “this is something that should’ve been done a long time ago.”
CBC will provide exclusive coverage of the event, which also includes a week-long cultural festival, showcasing “Indigenous heritage and cultural distinctiveness,” according to the Games website.
Athletes are coming from Canada’s 10 provinces, three territories and nine states in the U.S. They will be joined by 2,000 volunteers.
Among the sports during the Games, are traditional events such as canoeing, kayaking, archery, and lacrosse, but some of the other competitions will include softball, basketball, soccer and golf. All of the events are open to the public at no charge.
With files from CBC Toronto.
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