Arctic Winter Games 2024 to be hosted in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
It will be the 7th time Alaska plays host to the games
The 2024 Arctic Winter Games will be held in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, says the Arctic Winter Games International Committee.
The committee made the announcement in a news release on Thursday afternoon.
The games are held every two years as a circumpolar sport and cultural event for youth. The event boasts hosting up to 2,000 participants and an equal number of volunteers.
The Mat-Su Borough 2024 Arctic Winter Games virtual bid was "extremely professional and well received by the International Bid Review Committee," said John Flynn, president of Arctic Winter Games International Committee in the news release.
"We look very forward to seeing our northern neighbours in person in this beautiful part of the world throughout their planning and at Games time in 2024."
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is a local government region nearly the size of Scotland, the news release says, and it has been one of the fastest growing communities in Alaska.
It's known to be a winter sport destination, with activities like dog mushing, cross country and backcountry skiing, snowmobiling and fat tire biking.
"When I heard about the request to host the Arctic Winter Games, I knew the Mat-Su Borough was the perfect place. We have tremendous outdoor facilities and ski trail systems," said Mayor Vern Halter of Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
"I'm confident the Borough staff and all our partners will put on the best winter games ever."
The 2024 event will be the seventh time Alaska has hosted the Arctic Winter Games. The most recent occasion was in 2014 in Fairbanks.
The next games are set for Wood Buffalo in late January of 2023.