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8 outstanding Aboriginal athletes receive prestigious award Prince George, B.C. (October 30, 2017) – The 2017 Premier’s Awards for Aboriginal Youth Excellence in Sport were presented to eight outstanding Aboriginal athletes from British Columbia’s Northeast Region during a formal celebration held today at Nusdeh Yoh Elementary School in Prince George, B.C. The Northeast is the first of six regions to honour Aboriginal athletes through this unique province-wide awards program. “This is an important evening for the Northeast,” said Ken Edzerza, [...]

'I have never been so proud to be Aboriginal in my entire life,' says Katrina Haintz By Ash Kelly, CBC News Katrina Haintz attends the 2017 NAIG opening ceremonies with three of her daughters, Marquesis, Kaia & Mateya. (Photo Credit: Katrina Haintz) Katrina Haintz was 38 years old before she finally felt proud of her Indigenous heritage. She credits the North American Indigenous Games — which are currently underway in Toronto — for the shift. Haintz attended the 2014 NAIG events [...]

Marching to a new beat: Team B.C. brings new anthem, custom drums for Indigenous Games New theme song written in Chinook, an early common language of trade in the area By Ash Kelly, CBC News Posted: Jul 15, 2017 9:00 AM ET Team B.C. will be arriving at the North American Indigenous Games in style with a brand new theme song to drum up enthusiasm and energy. After a provincewide competition, the team's new anthem, composed by William Wasden Jr. from the Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw [...]

By Ash Kelly, CBC News 'She gave me purpose': B.C. rifle competitor inspires the man who taught her to hunt By the time she was 10 years old, Laatya James had shot her first deer It was 4:30 in the morning when an eight-year-old Laatya James asked her father if she could join him on one of his regular weekend hunting trips. Surprised by the request, Darryl James agreed and taught his daughter how to shoot a .22-calibre rifle. Within a year, [...]

Keegan Charlie brings cultural flare to the ‘beautiful game’ For Team British Columbia’s Keegan Charlie, soccer is a passion, and his years of training as a traditional dancer have helped to shape his rhythm on the pitch. The 17-year-old captain of the BC 2017 NAIG men’s soccer team, has been dancing and singing for his Sts’ailes and Musqueam First Nation community since he was four-years-old. He is one of only a few First Nations people to play soccer in the [...]

Hunter Lang on a winning quest for her Indigenous Identity In addition to her many extracurricular activities, softball player Hunter Lang has been working hard at learning about her Indigenous culture. From Port Moody BC, the 15-year old who has been playing softball since she was seven is a member of the Ts’Kw’aylaxw First Nation, but her journey into her Indigenous identity began only last summer. “I attended a camp at Simon Fraser University where I was with other Aboriginal [...]

The Host Society has released the schedule of events for the 2017 NAIG. Please view the full schedule of events below. For more information regarding the 2017 NAIG schedule and venues, please visit: http://naig2017.to/en/sports-venues/sport-schedule/

Team BC Seeks Female Golf Athletes for 2017 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) 17U and 19U female golf athletes invited to attend Team BC's tryout for the 2017 NAIG The Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council (I·SPARC) oversees the Team BC Program for the North American Indigenous Games. I·SPARC and our Team BC coaches are seeking female (First Nations, Metis, Inuit) golf athletes born 1998 through 2005 to attend a Team BC Golf NAIG Development Camp, to be held at Two [...]

The Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council (I·SPARC) is pleased to present the Lace 'Em Up Hockey Program - An Introduction To Canada's National Game! Sanctioned by BC Hockey, this one-day camp is for Indigenous youth between the ages of 6 – 12 years old who are beginners or first time hockey players that want to learn basic skills and enjoy the game of ice hockey. The camp consists of two on-ice sessions, one off-ice activities, training and lunch. [...]