Northern sports ministers want excluded AWG sports back

Northern territorial sports ministers hope sports excluded from the 2016 Arctic Winter Games can be re-instated.

The ministers met with the Arctic Winter Games International committee in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Wednesday.

Six sports are being eliminated from the 2016 Games in Nuuk, Greenland, because the city lacks the facilities to accommodate speed skating, curling, gymnastics, midget hockey and dog mushing.

Elaine Taylor represented the Yukon at the meeting.

"Never have we seen in the games’ history a reduction of 25 per cent of the sports. It would impact over 400 athletes in the North. These games are an integral part of sport development of any young athlete across the circumpolar North. They're more than games. It's about providing that venue of competition for young athletes. It's effectively our Olympics for northern circumpolar North."

Taylor says Yukon asked the AWG committee to look at options, such as co-hosting the 2016 Games or finding a satellite location so all sports can be included in Nuuk Games.

She said there will be another meeting in April to look at specific options.