Iqaluit hopes to land 2020 Arctic Winter Games

Sean Nipisar, left, of Whale Cove and James Qajaaqjuaq Tautu of Chesterfield Inlet pose with the gold ulus the men picked up at the 2010 Arctic Winter Games in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Now, the city of Iqaluit plans to launch a bid to host the 2020 games. (FILE PHOTO)

The City of Iqaluit hopes to bring the Arctic Winter Games to Nunavut’s capital in 2020.

City council passed a motion Jan. 10 expressing interest in launching a bid to host the 2020 games, which could attract more than 1,500 athletes from around the circumpolar world.

“The Arctic Winter Games are something that athletes from Nunavut look forward to all through their youth,” said Amy Elgersma, the city’s recreation director. “It’s a great event, not only for the athletes, but also for the legacies it would leave.”

Now, the Government of Nunavut must submit a report to the Arctic Winter Games international committee to show interest in becoming the games’ host community.

Next a host society would form to help launch a bid: a lengthy process aimed at proving the city has the leadership, volunteer base and infrastructure to accommodate the games’ sporting events.

Elgersma said the city is well-positioned to offer the venues to host the minimum of 14 of the games’ 20 sporting events, such as hockey, figure skating, dog mushing and indoor soccer.

Host communities must also offer venues for the cultural showcases, as well as for the opening and closing ceremonies.

But rather than have to convert existing facilities to accommodate events during the games, Elgersma hopes the AWG bid provides a push to get some of the city’s recreation projects built.

“I’d prefer to see permanent facilities that will provide Iqaluit with proper sporting facilities,” she said. “It would be really nice to have these facilities for long-term use.”

That includes plans to build a new swimming pool, arena and recreation centre.

The city has already made strides to replace the aging Arnaitok Arena with a second ice surface at the Arctic Winter Games complex and build a new recreation centre on the downtown lot.

And although swimming is not an event featured at the AWG, Elgersma said the new aquatics centre, eyed for the vacant lot next door to the Arnaitok complex, would help to complement the games.

But 2020 wouldn’t be the first time Iqaluit hosted the AWG – the city prepared a successful joint bid with Nuuk, Greenland in 2002.

That year, Iqaluit hosted about 900 participants at nine events, many of them in converted Canadian Forces hangars near the airport.

But this time, Elgersmas is confident that Iqaluit is ready to manage the games on its own.

Once the bid package is sent off, the AWG international committee will select the 2020 host community approximately three and half years before the games are scheduled to happen.

The AWG first launched in 1970, as a way to bring more balanced competition to athletes from regions across northern Canada.

Now, the 22nd Arctic Winter Games is set to kick off in Whitehorse, Yukon Mar. 4.

Visit www.arcticwintergames.org for more information.