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Arctic sports athlete Naja Pearce said she’s thrilled that the Arctic Winter Games are back on a two-year cycle.
“I was so, so happy. As soon as I saw that release, I sent it right to our group chat and I was like, we have a two-year cycle again,” she said, smiling.
In December 2025, the games’ committee had moved the event to a three-year cycle, but she and others criticized that change and said it would have denied young athletes opportunities to compete.
“They would have only had like one year in the junior and then go straight into the open category, which could be pretty tough,” Pearce said. “That’s what I did because of COVID and it was really hard from going from junior heights to open heights.”
Max Joy, the Nunavut girls hockey coach, said their team would’ve been heavily affected by the three-year cycle with almost all of their athletes aging out.
“I’m just really kind of feeling relieved because I just know how much it means, especially to those kids in small communities who almost never get the chance to compete,” he said.
AWG major tournament, motivator for athletes
Gavin Greenley, the Nunavut boys basketball coach, echoes Joy’s sentiment and said that going back to every two years means more chances for athletes.
“I was excited because it means some kids that didn’t have an opportunity they’ll get a chance to go to AWG because sometimes [it] is their only major tournament,” Greenley said.
Olivia Tapatai, the Nunavut girls basketball coach, said the return of the traditional two-year cycle keep athletes motivated and in the rhythm of competing.
“It sounds like three years is not that long off, but it really makes a difference when you’re looking at an athlete who would be in Grade 9 would now be in Grade 12,” she said. “So now, it just keeps us in the momentum of training and preparing for every two years.”
For the territory’s girls hockey team, who earned a historic bronze ulu at the last AWG, Joy said this gives the team one last chance to play together and hopefully go for gold this time.
“Knowing all these girls are going to have two extra years of experience and just the momentum of our program, how fast we’re growing. I’m confident if we get the same core group of girls there that we will be certainly in the gold medal contention right from the start,” Joy said.
The announcement comes just months after organizers decided to shift to a three-year cycle for the event. The next games were originally planned for 2029. CBC spoke to some Team Nunavut coaches and athletes about the announcement, Bianca McKeown reports.
Iqaluit still hosting 2032 games
Iqaluit was set to host the 2030 games, but the three-year cycle pushed that back to 2032.
Mariele Depeuter, Nunavut’s director of sport and recreation, said Iqaluit will stick to hosting the 2032 event, while the international games’ committee will look for a new host for 2030.
“We are a little behind in our planning,” she said. “But, we’re ready to get into it and I’ll start working with our sports to get ready for our games.”
Joy said sports and the AWG mean so much to Nunavummiut athletes.
“I’m just really happy that it’s back,” Joy said. “The games mean so much more than just showing up and playing a sport, it’s deeply, deeply personal to our communities.”
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