Team Alberta North from Canada has competed in the Arctic Winter Games since 1986. This year they are competing in 17 of the 20 sports in total. Team Alberta has 250 participants including 192 athletes, 43 coaches, two cultural participants, and 13 mission staff. Featuring 93 male athletes and 99 female athletes, and two female cultural participants, they represent 28 different communities n\orth of the 55th parallel in Northern Alberta.
The youngest member of Team Alberta North, ten-year-old Kateyln Siebert from Sexsmith, is looking forward to competing in gymnastics which kicks off on Wednesday. The team’s oldest participant, Michael Boudreau (21) from Fort Chipewyan, is competing in the Dené games. After the 2022 Games were postponed, Team Alberta North hosted the Games in 2023 in Wood Buffalo where they collectively won 144 medals: 42 gold, 60 silver, and 42 bronze.
Théa Thompson of Peace River carried Alberta North’s flag on Sunday’s opening ceremonies representing women's hockey. Thompson competed internationally in the 2022 Lions Cup in Finland and won a golden ulu at last year’s Games. Isabella Scheers from Fort McMurray and Nikita Tsyruk from Grand Prairie proudly carried the team’s banner Sunday. Scheers is representing Figure skating, while Tsyruk is excited to represent wrestling. Discover more about the Alberta North’s team website at https://teamalberta.org/arctic-winter-games/.
Did you know? Dene Games allow adult participants in some events. This combination of age groups is a part of handing culture on to the next generation.