Kivalliq Summer Games returns after 12 years
· CBC News
After a 12 year hiatus, the Kivalliq Summer Games returned this past weekend to Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut.
The event had athletes going head-to-head in Arctic Sports like one-foot high kick, arm pull and head pull.
Russell Mullins, the hamlet’s recreation coordinator, said the idea to bring the games back came from his time coaching at this year’s Arctic Winter Games (AWG).
“I just realized that Alaska, Greenland, Northwest Territories, Yukon they have stepped up their Arctic Sports, I guess, competition,” he said. “I want to start getting Nunavut’s competition going, but I want to start regionally first.”
This past weekend he said 26 athletes competed in the games, with the youngest athlete being just 12 years old. He said the Chesterfield Inlet team had been practicing for over a month and a half now and they were “pretty excited” for the games.
“A lot of the juniors [were] excited about the head pull and the arm pull because they were never allowed to do it before,” Mullins said.
‘Really great to see that it’s coming back to life’
The Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) was a sponsor of the event.
Art Sateana, the acting manager of communications, said these games help bring athletes from Kivalliq communities together through sport.
“It really highlights the opportunities that brings communities together through sports because living in very small communities, sports are a very robust game,” he said. “It’s really great to see the talent, the dedication and the teamwork that are on display throughout the entirety of the game.”
Sateana said there’s many reasons why the games went away in the first place, including how difficult it can be to coordinate these events and the costs associated to run them.
However, he agreed with Mullins, that the AWG earlier this year brought interest back to events like this one. “It’s really great to see that it’s coming back to life.”
In an email, the NU Sport Board said they are excited to continue working with KIA and Kivalliq communities to build these games, and that this year was a starting point and they hope to grow the games each year back to the level they once were.
“We believe there is a great opportunity to build on this year’s momentum and make the games even stronger in the years ahead,” the statement said.
