Arctic Winter Games close in Whitehorse after week blending sport, culture and Indigenous games

The Arctic Winter Games have wrapped up in Whitehorse, Yukon, after a week in which young athletes and cultural performers from across the circumpolar North came together for competition, ceremony and celebration.

In a closing statement issued in Whitehorse, Canada’s federal sport and culture leaders described the Games as a “one-of-a-kind celebration of sport and culture”, highlighting the way the event puts traditional northern practices alongside modern competition. The statement pointed to a program spanning “traditional Arctic and modern sports and Dene games” as well as visual arts and dance, and singled out the role of local hosts in shaping the week’s cultural backbone.

The ministers also formally thanked Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, alongside the wider Whitehorse community, volunteers and families. The closing message included a greeting in Southern Tutchone, underscoring how language and cultural protocol remain integral to what differentiates the Games from standard multi-sport meets.

Held from March 8 to 15, the Arctic Winter Games are one of the largest northern gatherings of their kind, bringing together around 2,000 participants and combining sport with cultural showcases that reflect the region’s Indigenous and northern identities. Teams from across the Arctic and sub-Arctic compete not only for medals but for community pride and connection – a theme that has grown in importance as northern regions face shared pressures from climate change, distance, and the cost of services and travel.

Local reporting also captured the competitive edge. CKLB Radio said Team NT finished with 98 total “ulus” (the event’s distinctive medal equivalent) including 41 gold, while Team Alaska led the overall table and Team Yukon finished ahead of the NWT on total ulus. Those results reflect both the scale of the competition and the depth of talent across northern communities.

For Indigenous participants, the Games are also a platform where cultural expression is not a side event but part of the main program. That visibility (on stage, in language, and through Indigenous games) is why the closing message leaned as heavily on culture as it did on sport. The next challenge for organisers and governments will be to keep investing in these northern pathways so the Games remain accessible and genuinely representative of the communities they are meant to serve.