New rules make Arctic Winter Games team selection even tougher

The Yukon will not take a full roster of athletes to the Arctic Winter Games this year, falling short by about 45 spots according to the head of the team. 

Choosing which sports will take fewer athletes is a hard decision for Chef de Mission Trevor Twardochleb, who is having tough conversations with various sports organizations in the territory about the numbers. 

"We're limited to how many people we can bring, it's actually concerning for me because if you look at bringing a full contingent it's well over our threshold, which is 355 … and that includes athletes, support staff, mission staff," he said. 

The delegation will, however, include a higher ratio of adults this time — and it's not just Team Yukon.

Swapping some of the teams' allocated spots from athletes to adults has to do with implementing the Safe Sport policy, which was adopted by the Arctic Winter Games in 2020. That means following the rule of two, which says "any one-on-one interaction between an adult and a participant, both on and off of the field of play, must take place within earshot and view of a second adult." It also requires at least one of those two adults to be of the same gender as the athlete.  

The emphasis on Safe Sport follows an international push to protect athletes from abuse in all forms — sexual, mental and physical, and at all levels of competition.

The policy was in place during the 2023 Wood Buffalo games as well, but because the host community was able to accommodate more people, the games made an exception in allowing teams to bring additional members.

Now it's back to the usual cap of 2,000 participants overall — because that's the upper limit for Northern communities that host large events like the AWG, according to John Rodda, president of the Arctic Winter Games International Committee.

Rodda said the games in Alaska in March will be the first time teams are feeling the crunch from the Safe Sport rules. 

"The games are evolving just like the sports world is evolving and everything we do, we have to kinda look around and say what's the best practice?"

Rodda said the AWG has yet to reach the full number of adults required for the rule of two, so in future years it may mean even fewer athletes. 

"We're all going to have to sit down and talk about what are the impacts," he said. That might mean changing some of the age categories or the number of categories in a specific sport. "It's going to be looking at the whole structure," said Rodda.  

'It's a little stressful'

Adapting to the rules is part of the complexity of choosing a roster for Team Yukon for Twardochleb. 

"There were some sports in the past that only had one coach, for example," said Twardochleb  "So we have to balance that — we want to provide a safe environment."   

Speaking to Yukon Morning, Twardochleb said, "I know there are some sports that historically haven't had a full roster, we're kinda counting on that but at the same time it's a little stressful when you are asking our sports to maybe consider bringing one or two less people on the roster." 

It's the International Arctic Games Committee that sets the numbers for each delegation. Twardochelb said the size and capacity of the host community also plays into determining the numbers for each delegation. 

"You know you don't want to overwhelm the host society too," said Twardochleb. "It's going to be tight. " 

The 2024 games in Matanuska-Susitna, Alaska, will happen March 10 to 16. This is the first time the Arctic Winter Games have been held on back-to-back years because of a pandemic delay in the rotation.

Try-outs already starting

Try-outs for Team Yukon have already begun for some sports. 

"We have three or four athletes who are expected to return, trying out today," said Christian Carino, an assistant coach for the Yukon boys basketball team.  

As the athletes ran drills at the first of three basketball try-out sessions in Whitehorse, the coaches told players there's a lot of talent and skill on the court and choosing a team is about putting the puzzle pieces together. 

Jeffries Rumbaoa is among those vying for a spot. The Whitehorse high school student made the alternate team for the 2023 Arctic Winter Games, but this year, he's hoping to be one of the 12 athletes chosen for the boys basketball team.

"If I make it this year, I think it'll mean a lot to me because after like a year I can finally redeem myself and compete in Mat-Su Valley," he said. 

For those that do get selected, Carino said the games are an opportunity for athletes to develop on and off the playing field. "It affords so many opportunities for them to compete, to have new experiences and even just meet other athletes from different regions, it's an awesome experience."