Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games postponed to 2026 due to wildfires

Stefan Richard · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 5:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

The Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games (MISG) that were scheduled to statesman adjacent week successful Norway House Cree Nation, person been postponed to adjacent year.

"As the hosts, we really sent a missive to the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council connected June 6 requesting a commencement of a rescheduling," said Edward "Sonny" Albert, president of the MISG North big corporation.

The Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council committee passed a motion connected June 9 to postpone the games to 2026, citing the wildfire exigency affecting participants and their communities and the province-wide authorities of emergency.

The archetypal half of the games was scheduled to beryllium held in Norway House, about 450 kilometres northbound of Winnipeg, July 9-13, and the 2nd fractional was scheduled for Aug. 17-23 successful Sagkeeng First Nation, astir 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

An expected 2,000-4,000 athletes were expected to be the games betwixt the 2 big communities to enactment successful 16 antithetic sports.

"We're moving hard to guarantee that those participants that were going to come, volition travel adjacent year," said Albert.

One interest that athletes, parents and coaches person shared online is property eligibility. If the games are postponed a year, past the older athletes volition nary longer beryllium eligible to vie successful 2026.

Albert said the property limits for 2026 volition travel the North American Indigenous Games model of 18 and nether and 15 and categories, truthful qualifying athletes who different would person aged retired of the MISG model.

Sagkeeng First Nation is installing a $600,000 rubberized way for the athletics contention arsenic a bequest project.

According to Indigenous Services Canada, arsenic of July 2, determination were four First Nations successful Manitoba evacuated and 2 much impacted by wildfires.

The MISG readying committee, on with the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council, said it volition corroborate the caller dates for the games soon.