Benjamin Alivaktuk, a beach volleyball player with Team Nunavut, serves the ball during training in Dartmouth, N.S., Aug. 3. Coach Rob Tomyn says training in the Maritimes has prepared the athletes for Newfoundland’s summer heat. (Photo courtesy of Rob Tomyn)
Nunavut athletes face heat, smoke advisories at Canada Summer Games
Saturday’s opening ceremony, competitions can be watched live online
Team Nunavut athletes are in Newfoundland to compete at the Canada Summer Games — and their first opponent will be a tag team of summer heat and wildfire smoke.
The Games’ opening ceremony is scheduled to begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s, N.L.
The indoor program features a parade of athletes and various cultural performances.
Beach volleyball player Benjamin Alivaktuk, 20, of Pangnirtung, will carry the Nunavut flag during the ceremony.
Starting with their first matches Sunday, Alivaktuk and the team’s three other beach volleyball players will have to contend with heat and poor air quality.
Environment Canada issued a heat advisory Friday, warning of daytime temperatures that could hit 30 C over the next five days and nighttime temperatures that will offer “little relief.”
Air quality in St. John’s is also being affected by wildfires around Newfoundland. Environment Canada advises people to avoid strenuous activities outdoors and seek medical attention if they experience heat-related symptoms.
Nunavut’s beach volleyball players trained in Dartmouth, N.S., for nearly two weeks prior to the Games.
“Fortunately, the weather has been quite hot in Halifax our entire stay and there has been a little bit of smoke in the air so our players have grown accustomed to the conditions and are looking forward to working hard,” said coach Rob Tomyn.
“The training sessions are probably harder than the actual matches, so we are feeling quite confident in our abilities to perform in any conditions that Newfoundland will bring.”
Sports fans back home can tune in online on the Games’ official website to watch the competitions, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.
Nunavut’s beach volleyball and basketball squads see their first action on Sunday.
In basketball, the women’s team plays Yukon at 7 a.m. and Manitoba at 6:15 p.m. ET. The men’s team opens against Yukon at 7 a.m., then faces Nova Scotia at 6:15 p.m. ET.
In beach volleyball, the Nunavut men play New Brunswick at 9 a.m. and then Northwest Territories at 3 p.m. ET. The women’s team plays just once on Sunday, facing Prince Edward Island at 10 a.m. ET.
Nunavut’s indoor volleyball teams will see their first action on Aug. 19, and the wrestlers’ first matches are scheduled for Aug. 21.
The Canada Summer Games open Friday and run until Aug. 25.
“… to compete at the Canada Summer Games — and their first opponent will be a tag team of summer heat and wildfire smoke.”
Oh, look; they’re competing in the Summer Games … during the summer. Mightn’t it be safer if the summer games were rescheduled for the fall or winter?