Sidelined figure skater says ‘it feels wrong’ there’s no male category at Arctic Winter Games
Patrick Witzaney-Chown is not allowed to participate in the Games in Whitehorse
Iqaluit figure skater Patrick Witzaney-Chown won’t be participating in Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse because there is no male category in his sport. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Patrick Witzaney-Chown was putting on his black skates and getting ready to do some spins and jumps Tuesday at Iqaluit’s Arnaitok Arena.
Patrick Witzaney-Chown gets ready to skate on Iqaluit’s Arnaitok Arena with his family on Tuesday. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
The 14-year-old figure skater has spent hours every week on the Iqaluit ice for the past 11 years, thinking one day he might show off his skills on the international stage at the Arctic Winter Games.
“That was a natural progression for me to go,” he said.
“Until I learned that I couldn’t.”
The problem is that Witzaney-Chown is a boy and the Arctic Winter Games don’t have a category for male figure skaters.
Figure skating and gymnastics are the only two sports in which the Games have never allowed male athletes to participate, said Moira Lassen, executive director of Arctic Winter Games International Committee running the Whitehorse event, scheduled for March.
All other 18 sports in this year’s games either have separate male and female categories or allow all athletes to compete together.
“When figure skating and gymnastics were first introduced to the Arctic Winter Games, they were designated as female-only sports to help balance overall gender equity across the Games program,” Lassen said in an email Thursday.
Since then, she said, the international committee has reviewed recommendations to add new categories that would allow male athletes to participate, but it was not possible to implement those changes by 2026.
“The recommendations remain under review and will be considered as part of future sport selections,” Lassen said.
But Witzaney-Chown said, “I just don’t think the rule makes sense.”
“It feels wrong that I’m qualified to go, to do something and I can’t because I’m a boy.”
He first learned he is not allowed to take part in the Games in 2024, as he was preparing for that year’s event in Alaska.
“You’re training to do this, to go to a competition like that,” he said. “It bothers me that I can’t.”
He hoped the rule would change and add a male or a unisex figure skating category in time for the 2026 Games in Whitehorse, but it didn’t.
Witzaney-Chown joined Iqaluit’s learn-to-skate program when he was three years old – just about as early as he could — Patrick’s father Brian Witzaney-Chown said.
A few years later, seven-year-old Patrick decided to join the figure skating club – not an easy choice in Canada where the default ice sport tends to be hockey.
“It felt weird to be the only one figure skating – the majority of people go and play hockey, at least males anyways,” he said.
“It’s a very physical game, and I’m not a very physical person.”
But he says things are changing in the way male figures skaters are perceived.
In January 2025, he took the gold in the elements section of the Skate, Sparkle, and Shine Territorial Competition in Yellowknife that allowed male skaters.
And it was U.S. male figure skater Ilia Malinin – dubbed the “Quad God” – who became one of the biggest stars of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
It’s reassuring to see male figure skaters like Malinin on such high level, Patrick said.
But Brian is concerned a boys category won’t be added to the Arctic Winter Games in time for Patrick to ever participate because 19 is the maximum age for competitors.
“But there is hope that, at some point, we will see a change there and it’ll be an opportunity for other male skaters down the road to participate,” he said.
For now, Patrick keeps working on his double toe loops under Megalovania, a frenetic tune by Toby Fox from a video game called Undertale.
That’s the music he would have chosen for his Arctic Winter Games program.
“I’m happy for the for my friends and skiers that get to go – they’re also very qualified and have been training for this,” Patrick said.
“I just wish that I had the same opportunity.”
Wishing this young man the best
That’s really disappointing. Sounds like they have years to make this change but just haven’t actually bothered to take the issue up. Very lame response from the ED. This is a simple change that could easily be implemented quickly. Good for this kid for continuing to work on his skill. You’ll make it to an international stage somewhere Patrick, keep going.
Welcome to today’s world, men are constantly put down and belittled, goes on in today’s world unfortunately.
All these groups led by organizations and governments have all kinds of girls and women initiatives while ignoring boys and men all together, take MMIW for instance, totally focused on women and ignoring men, while there are more missing and murdered men each year, more indigenous men go missing or murdered, how does that make any sense and why is this the narrative?
More indigenous boys and men commit suicide yet that is completely ignored too, now AWG is focused on this narrative, when will society, organizations and governments represent everyone fairly? Something has to break here and this cannot continue to happen.
Now there will probably be a witch hunt on me for bringing this to light. We get attacked for speaking this, it’s no wonder few talk about this.
Organize it, do the work. The reason there are more people focussed on supporting women and girls is because they have been impacted. It takes work, no one is magically going to do it. Take up the cause and push forward. You are the change you want to see.
We are trying to take up the cause, it falls on deaf ears, it doesn’t fit in with the narrative with the organizations and governments. No support, wrong gender.
My friend, Boy named sue This is not the forum for your rant. I understand as should everyone tuned in that this is about a very talented young fellow that would like to display his attributes. I for one wish him the best! Your rant belongs …….somewhere darker
This does not belong somewhere darker, it is already forced in a dark place because no organization or government wants to bring it to light, why do you want to ignore what is going on around you? In our communities, are we supposed to stay quiet while one group has everything handed to them and another group should just stay silent and ignore it too?
This is a huge issue that should not belong in a dark space, it should be brought to light.
This is discrimination, plain and simple. How, in 2026, can games sponsored by the Government of Canada, Government of Alberta, Government of Greenland, and the Government of Quebec allow this? This sponsorship, for games that are discriminating against boys/young men in figure skating and gymnastics, should be withdrawn until this situation is rectified.
They’re literally reviewing their current programs so they can make changes. They didn’t have time to implement them for 2026.
I guess it’s. It really a priority, taking years for something that could be included with little bit of work. But we will stay tuned