The Philippine Online Chronicles

Filipinos know all about the Summer Olympics (more popularly known as simply “the Olympics”), the biggest sporting event in the world. Just recently, its winter counterpart, the Winter Olympics, concluded. However, not many tropical-dwelling Filipinos know that the Winter Olympics have a little brother - The Arctic Winter Games, which is held every two years. This year, the 21st celebration of the Arctic Winter Games will be held in Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada, on March 6 to 13, 2010.

The Arctic Winter Games involves the territories of the circumpolar north (i.e. the major northern and wintry countries in the world, such as the territories of Canada, Alaska, and Russia). Being a country with snowfall hasn’t been a hard requirement for joining the games – a Jamaican bobsled team made its debut in the 1988 Winter Olympics (The 1993 film Cool Runnings was loosely based on their exploits)!

Unlike the Winter Olympics that focus mainly on popular winter sports, the Arctic Winter Games not only showcase sports such as snowboarding, figure skating, and skiing, but also feature other indoor sports such as badminton, table tennis, and basketball. Founded in 1969 by the leaders of Alaska, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon, the Arctic Winter Games allows athletes from the circumpolar north to have their own avenue for showcasing their sporting talents.

Since its first games, held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, where the participants came from only three places (the territories of the three founding leaders), the Arctic Winter Games have expanded to include more and more locations, and more and more participants. The upcoming 21st Arctic Winter Games includes more than 2,000 participants from different regions: Alaska, Greenland, Russia, Sami (the Sami people of Norway, Sweden, and Finland), and Canada (Northwest Territories, Nunavik Quebec, Nunavut, Northern Alberta, and the Yukon).

The Games allow the participants to exhibit their various cultures and interact socially with peoples from similar environments, albeit from different geographical territories. Those who don’t participate are given a glimpse of the different cultures of the participants (most especially the various indigenous tribes, such as the Sami people of the Nordic countries, or the Inuit of Canada) that may be quite different because of the greatly different environments.

The Arctic Winter Games aren't only a celebration of the sports that colder territories enjoy, but a chance to witness a different brand of athleticism. Because of the focus on the cultures of the participants, there are a number of events such as the Dene games and Inuit games in addition to conventional sports.

The Dene games involve combining athletic prowess with the participants' cultural background. For example, in the Snow Snake event, athletes throw a spear-like pole along a well-packed snow surface, with the winner being the one who throws it at the longest distance. This particular event’s concept is based on a hunting technique in the high north, where spears are used to capture caribou. Another event is the Hand Games, a fun event in which two teams of four try to trick the opposing team into believing they have nothing in their hands! The teams can use hand signals to coordinate with each other of where they think the other team’s objects are. There are twelve sticks between the teams, and the first team to possess all sticks, or the most after fifteen minutes, is proclaimed the winner.

Inuit games, on the other hand, feature events that utilize skills often required to survive in the harsh environments of the Arctic. These games primarily involve athleticism, as competitors perform jumps and wrestling maneuvers to win events such as the kneel jump, leg wrestle, and sitting knuckle pull.

Viewers who are interested in the cultures of the people of the circumpolar north will undoubtedly find the Arctic Winter Games an exciting event to watch. The variety of unique events and the cultural showcase of the Games remind one of their resilience in the harsh environments of the Arctic.

Relive the Arctic Winter Games

Intro | Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Finale

Photo by Xander.