After a 12-year break, the Kivalliq Summer Games made a comeback in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut over the weekend. Athletes engaged in competitive Arctic Sports such as one-foot high kick, arm pull, and head pull. Russell Mullins, the recreation coordinator of the hamlet, initiated the revival of the games after observing the enhanced competition in Arctic Sports from other regions like Alaska, Greenland, Northwest Territories, and Yukon during this year’s Arctic Winter Games (AWG). Mullins expressed his desire to boost Nunavut’s sports competition, starting at a regional level.
During the recent event, 26 athletes participated, with the youngest being 12 years old. The Chesterfield Inlet team had been preparing for over a month and a half and eagerly anticipated the games, especially the younger participants who were excited about events like the head pull and arm pull, which they had not been allowed to do previously.
The Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) sponsored the games, with Art Sateana, the acting communications manager, emphasizing the role of these games in uniting athletes from Kivalliq communities through sports. Sateana praised the talent, dedication, and teamwork displayed throughout the games, highlighting the significance of sports in bringing small communities together.
While acknowledging the challenges of organizing and funding such events, Sateana and Mullins both noted the renewed interest in these games following the recent AWG. The NU Sport Board expressed excitement about collaborating with KIA and Kivalliq communities to expand the games, aiming to elevate them to their former prominence in the coming years.
The board’s statement emphasized the opportunity to capitalize on this year’s success and enhance the games in the future, building upon the momentum generated by the recent event.
