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Air North partnership allows athletes to travel without travel costs

Air North has partnered with Sport Yukon to help Yukon youth pursue their athletic development.
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Sport Yukon's main building sign. (John Tonin/Yukon News)

Five territorial athletes can now compete in recognized sporting events beyond provincial and territorial borders without incurring travel costs due to a partnership between Air North and Sport Yukon.

Air travel has been made freely available for the upcoming sporting season through Air North’s Giving Our Athletes a Lift (GOAL) fund.

The fund provides up to 30 flight segments to Sport Yukon, to be allocated to athletes of Air North’s choosing.

On Oct. 19, Sport Yukon announced this year’s recipients, who come from a range of sporting backgrounds, including judo, volleyball, cross-country skiing, gymnastics and snowboarding.

Simon Connell, Lia Hinchey, Zuri Howard, Stian Langbakk and Geneviève Lefebvre participated in the Canada Winter Games, the National Judo Tournament, the B.C. Beach Volleyball Provincials, the National Junior Snowboarding Championships and the B.C. Gymnastics Championships, respectively.

Sport Yukon invited individuals aged 13 to 18, who are eligible to represent Yukon in inter-provincial competitions and are members of a recognized Yukon sport governing body, to apply for funding for the upcoming season.

“This will give her (Zuri) more opportunities to travel down to Alberta to play with her club team and training opportunities throughout the volleyball season,” said Ken Howard, president of Volleyball Yukon.

The flight certificates aim to ease access to inter-provincial competitions, training, tryouts and tournaments for the 2024-25 season.

This initiative potentially supports the athletic development of Yukoners involved in the territory’s sporting community, as noted on the fund’s website.

“This collaboration not only boosts our local economy and tourism but also empowers athletes to focus on their training through the GOAL program. Sports instill vital life skills in our youth, fostering teamwork, discipline and leadership while uniting our diverse community,” said Benjamin Ryan, Chief Commercial Officer at Air North.

Air North selected this year’s recipients based on their calibre, access to funding and commitment to pursuing an athletic lifestyle.

Applicants are also asked to submit a letter of recommendation from both their coach and the president of their sport’s governing body, as per the criteria.

Rigid selection criteria have narrowed down a cohort of dedicated athletes ready to represent the Yukon across nationwide sporting events, leading to what Sport Yukon hopes will be an uptake of sports tourism within the territory.

Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com