Arctic Winter Games Opened in Yellowknife
2000 young people from all over the Arctic gathered to the 20th Arctic Winter Games
Sunday evening the 20th Arctic Winter Games was opened in Whitehorse, NWT. The Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper held the opening speech to the cheers of more than 2,000 young athletes and coaches, reports CBC.
"This year's theme, northern stars inspired by dreams, speaks to the limitless potential of the North and the promise of a bright future," Harper told the crowd, as athletes wearing a rainbow of different coloured uniforms waved flags.
The Arctic Winter Games is a high profile circumpolar sport competition for northern and arctic athletes. The first Games were held in Yellowknife, NWT in 1970 with the three contingents coming from Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alaska. Now there are participants from Nunavik, Nunavut, Greenland, the Saamis of the Northern Scandinavia and from Russia Yamal-Nenets.
The young athletes compete in traditional sports as skiing but there are also competions in traditional Arctic sports as Dog Mushing, Inuit Games and Dene Games. The Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse will end at March the 15th.