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Whitehorse advances Canada Winter Games bid

Members of games committe to perform site visit in late March.
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Athletes watch a competitor perform on the freestyle moguls at Mount Sima during the 2007 Canada Winter Games. (File Photo)

The bid committee trying to bring the Canada Winter Games back to the Yukon has taken another step at securing the Games 20 years after Whitehorse hosted it last.

In what is being described as the first major milestone in a 13-month process to bringing the 2027 Games to Whitehorse, the bid committee submitted the technical review information package to the Canada Games Council. Council representatives will visit Whitehorse from March 29 and 30 for a site visit at the venues discussed in the report.

“A tremendous amount of hard work goes into the process of securing a major event. This is the first stage of our journey to bringing these Games back to the North. We look forward to the next step and the opportunity to welcome athletes and visitors from across Canada to the Yukon for the 2027 Canada Winter Games,” said Piers McDonald, the chair of the bid committee.

The report and the site visits are the first step in the evaluation of Whitehorse’s bid for the Games. The second major step will occur in September of 2022 as the Whitehorse bid committee submits their comprehensive community review information. After all the information is evaluated, the host of the 2027 winter games will be announced in November 2022.

“We are one step closer to bringing the Canada Winter Games back to the Yukon. Congratulations to the Bid Committee on their hard work to develop the technical review information package. As we’ve seen since 2007, more and more Yukon athletes are representing our territory and Canada on national and world-level stages,” said Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn.

“A lot of their success can be attributed directly to the ability to use the legacy facilities created for the Canada Winter Games. I look forward to the next steps involved in seeing Whitehorse host the Canada Winter Games in 2027, and welcoming athletes, coaches and volunteers from across the country to our territory.”

At the outset of the bid process McDonald told the News that a new athletes’ village will have to be constructed as the one from the 2007 games is being used as dorms and senior housing at Yukon University. He said another ice rink would also probably be needed.

2007 was the first time the winter games were held north of 60.

Whitehorse Mayor Laura Cabott praised the work of McDonald and the others who have worked on the bid.

The two-week Games typically feature between 16 and 19 sports bringing 3,600 participants including athletes, coaches and managers to the host city.

The next upcoming Canada Winter Games will be held in February and March 2023 in Prince Edward Island.

Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com



Jim Elliot

About the Author: Jim Elliot

I’m a B.C. transplant here in Whitehorse at The News telling stories about the Yukon's people, environment, and culture.
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