2022 Arctic Winter Games postponed

The Arctic Winter Games International Committee announced that the 2022 Artic Winter Games will not take place as scheduled but will be “rescheduled to a later date to be announced” according to a press release on March 3.

The 2022 Artic Winter Games were scheduled for March 6-12, 2022, in Wood Buffalo, Alta.

In the release, the international committee says the decision was made after discussions with the host society, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and the Government of Alberta as a “planned and proactive response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.”

It was around this time last year that the 2020 games in Whitehorse were cancelled, marking the first notable impact of COVID-19 on the Yukon.

“The health and safety of our circumpolar participants, coaches and volunteers is of paramount concern, and although it is a great disappointment that we must postpone the 2022 Arctic Winter Games, we are steadfast in our decision. The International Committee engaged in an extensive consultative process with both the Wood Buffalo 2022 Host Society and our valued Chefs de Mission from participating units,” said John Flynn, president of the international committee. “We considered their critical feedback, we analyzed the relevant risks and considered our tolerance for those risks, and we learned from best practices employed by other major games leaders to come to this difficult decision.”

It is unclear when Wood Buffalo will next host the Arctic Winter Games.

It is also unclear how this will affect athlete eligibility. The games were last held in 2018.