Weather erases first day of competition at Arctic Winter Games

Team Nunavik-Québec athletes amuse themselves with hand games at the Kuujjuaq airport last weekend waiting for the weather to improve so they could fly to Nuuk for the 2016 Arctic Winter Games. (PHOTO COURTESY KATIVIK REGIONAL GOVERNMENT)

The heat is on. A torch burns in downtown Nuuk as a symbol of the launch of the 2016 Arctic Winter Games. Surrounding the torch are flags of the participating circumpolar teams, including those of Nunavut and Nunavik-Québec. While most games were delayed March 7 to accommodate late arrivals, the games will being in earnest March 8. (PHOTO BY STEVE DUCHARME)

NUUK, GREENLAND — The effort that Arctic Winter Games organizers made to deliver athletes to Nuuk, Greenland before the AWG’s opening ceremonies couldn’t withstand the forces of Mother Nature.

Blizzard conditions and strong winds, which persisted over the weekend, caused across-the-board delays for Greenland-bound planes departing North America.

Over 1,000 athletes from Alaska, Northwest Territories, Yukon and Alberta faced an unscheduled overnight layover March 5 at the Kangerlussuaq airport, according to reports from Ulu News, the AWG daily newspaper.

Kangerlussuaq, a community roughly 300 kilometres north of Nuuk, has the only runway in Greenland long enough to accommodate commercial jets.

The resulting backlog of air traffic forced national airline Air Greenland to embark on the self-proclaimed largest “airbridge” in the history of the company.

Thirty-one Air Greenland turboprop aircraft spent 12 hours ferrying stranded athletes to Nuuk March 6.

But, despite the best efforts of pilots, many athletes arrived in Nuuk well after the 8 p.m. start time for the 2016 Arctic Winter Games opening ceremony.

Only half of Team Nunavik-Québec made it in time for the festivities after arriving March 6 in Kangerlussuaq.

But a little snow and wind wasn’t going to stop those stuck in the airport from having a good time.

According to Team Nunavik-Québec, the stranded team members held their own version of the opening ceremony through the Kangerlussuaq terminal.

The team says it doesn’t blame AWG organizers for the delay and credits staff for adapting to the circumstances.

“Even though they were stuck there for nine hours, unexpectedly, they [the athletes] said the host society volunteers there were very helpful and they felt very welcome,” said Nancianne Grey, chef de mission for Team Nunavik-Québec.

The day before, athletes from across northern Quebec were forced to stay overnight at the Kuujjuaq airport, due to blizzard conditions engulfing Iqaluit and Greenland.

But team officials say spirits were high, and the group improvised some games as well as an impromptu movie night.

Now that the travel odyssey is over, Nunavik says its team is ready to jump into the competition.

“The coaches were very happy [on arrival], but tired. The athletes were very happy, but tired. [We’re] very excited and happy to be here,” Grey said.

AWG spokespeople confirmed in a press briefing March 7 that the final planeload of athletes arrived in Nuuk shortly before midnight the previous day.

“All has arrived, not as planned. They [Air Greenland] were really well functioning when the job had to be done,” said an AWG media liaison official.

To accommodate for the late arrivals, most sports competitions in Nuuk have been delayed until March 8, with the exception of preliminary rounds in badminton, basketball, futsol and volleyball.

Instead of competing, participants in most sporting events were given an extra training day March 7.

That means visiting athletes will have a little extra time to make up for the lost sleep.

Nuuk’s 2016 Arctic Winter Games are set to begin in earnest today March 8.