The 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG 2023) will get underway this Saturday, kicking off a weeklong celebration of sport and culture in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia, on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq.
FOLLOW TEAM BC NAIG
Team BC NAIG, a program managed by the Indigenous Sport, Phyisical Activity & Recreation Council (I·SPARC), and its 535 Indigenous athletes, coaches, and mission staff will compete in 14 sports: 3D Archery, Athletics (Track & Field, Cross-Country), Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Canoe/Kayak, Golf, Lacrosse (Box), Rifle Shooting, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Volleyball, and Wrestling.
Eight of the 535 Team BC NAIG members -- five athletes and three coaches -- previously represented Team BC at the Canada Games:
LIST
Athletes
Alex Paterson, Lacrosse - Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games (Softball)
Garner Ransome, Softball - Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games (Softball)
Elora Waardenburg, Lacrosse - Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games (Lacrosse)
Joshua Mills, Lacrosse - Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games (Lacrosse)
Dylan Ilett, Lacrosse - Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games (Lacrosse)
Coaches
Ryan Williams, Head Coach, Lacrosse - Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games (Lacrosse)
Nevada Johnson, Apprentice Coach, Softball - Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games (Lacrosse - Athlete)
Leanne Sirup, Head Coach, Swimming - Winnipeg 2017 Canada Summer Games (Swimming)
ABOUT THE NAIG 2023
NAIG 2023 will be the largest multi-sport and cultural event ever to be held in Atlantic Canada. More than 5,000 athletes, coaches and team staff from 756 Indigenous nations will take part in cultural celebrations, and compete in 16 sports across 21 venues, with the help of 3,000 volunteers. NAIG 2020 was originally due to take place from July 12 to 18, 2020 in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), and Millbrook First Nation, Nova Scotia and has now been set to take place July 15 to 23, 2023. You can learn more about NAIG 2023 HERE.
ABOUT TEAM BC NAIG
Team BC has taken part in every NAIG since its inception in 1990. At NAIG 2014 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Team BC became the first team to win both the Overall Team Award and the John Fletcher Spirit Award. You can learn more about Team BC NAIG and follow them throughout the 2023 North American Indigenous Games HERE.