The Wood Buffalo 2023 Arctic Winter Games includes athletes from the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut, Alaska, Greenland, Nunavik (Northern Quebec), northern Alberta and the Indigenous people (Sami) of Norway, Sweden and Finland. The Arctic Winter Games brings the Circumpolar world closer, strengthening its communities and providing its youth an International Games experience to participate, showcase their talent and share in the joy of sport. The Arctic Winter Games also celebrates culture and creates in the participants an awareness of cultural similarities and dissimilarities: cultural exchange and social interaction are important parts of the Games. Each participating contingent contributes with performances in dance, song, music, plays or art: these cultural events reflect the traditional as well as the modern cultures of the Arctic
Greenland has been participating in the Arctic Winter Games since 1990. In 2002, Greenland hosted the Games for the first time in Nuuk, and they last hosted the Games in 2016. Greenland is the most northerly of the jurisdictions involved in the Arctic Winter Games. Considered part of North America, Greenland is the world’s largest island. Two-thirds of the island is located above the Arctic Circle and approximately 85% of its landmass is covered by ice. The team colors are red and white.
Sápmi is the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sami people. The region stretches over the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The Sami speak as many as nine distinct dialects, with the most widely spoken language known as Northern Sami. The team colors are red, yellow, blue and black. Visit the team Sápmi website
Twenty sports are scheduled to be held at the 2023 Arctic Winter Games. Archery will make its debut in the modern games, having appeared only once before in the 1974 Arctic Winter Games. Alpine skiing will return to the games after not appearing in 2018. Dog mushing has been removed from the program and will not appear. Four skiing sports are to be held, with alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing and snowboarding. Two snowshoe events are to be held, with snowshoe biathlon and snowshoeing. Two racquet sports are to be held, with badminton and table tennis. Two skating events are to be held, with figure skating and short track speed skating. Team sports to be held are basketball, futsal, ice hockey, volleyball and curling. Traditional Inuit sports are also held, with Arctic sports, Dene games, and wrestling, the latter also including events for traditional wrestling. Gymnastics is also scheduled.
Greenland won 85 medals (38 gold, 22 silver, 25 bronze), while Sápmi won 26 (5 gold, 12 silver, 9 bronze)
At each Arctic Winter Games, the AWG International Committee presents the ‘Hodgson Trophy’ to the contingent whose athletes best exemplify the ideals of fair play and team spirit. Team members also receive a distinctive pin in recognition of their accomplishment. The distinctive trophy, which was donated to the Arctic Winter Games Corporation in 1978, by Commissioner S.M. Hodgson of the Northwest Territories, is a piece of Inuit artwork from the Canadian Arctic. Scrimshaw decorates the narwhal tusk that stands as the centerpiece of the trophy, which is mounted on a soapstone base. A walrus carved into the base wraps itself around the tusk. Near the top, a soapstone bear clings to the tusk, symbolizing “reaching for the top” in competition and fairplay. The Hodgson Trophy is on display on the second floor at the Canada Games Centre in Whitehorse, Yukon. A framed photograph of the trophy is presented to the winning contingent at each set of Arctic Winter Games.
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