Young P.E.I. athletes get early introduction to North American Indigenous Games

Stephen Brun · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 26, 2025 3:28 PM EDT | Last Updated: 23 minutes ago

The roadworthy to the adjacent North American Indigenous Games began successful P.E.I. connected Saturday arsenic a radical of young athletes from crossed the state gathered to play immoderate sports and person immoderate fun.

NAIG takes spot successful Calgary successful July 2027, but organizers said it's ne'er excessively aboriginal to commencement fostering a emotion of sport, assemblage and culture.

"We wanted to commencement the process present to place Indigenous younker who are successful the property scope who could perchance effort retired for NAIG," said Lynn Anne Hogan, the elder programme co-ordinator for the Aboriginal sports ellipse with the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I.

"For some, their parents, their chief, their grandparents, their friends and household whitethorn person gone, but for others this is simply a full marque caller acquisition for them."

The games instrumentality spot each 4 years, and bring unneurotic younker athletes and coaching unit from 750 antithetic First Nations successful North America.

In 2023, NAIG successful Halifax saw 5,000 competitors and coaches attend, including 29 athletes from Prince Edward Island.

Saturday's lawsuit astatine UPEI was meant to springiness the radical of 30 young Indigenous radical a accidental to effort retired immoderate sports similar lacrosse and badminton, and get them reasoning astir trying retired for Team P.E.I. erstwhile the clip comes. 

"I've shown a batch of involvement successful volleyball, and since it's 1 of the sports we could bash for NIAG, I'm hoping maine and my stepsister could besides question to Calgary, spell to caller places and conscionable caller friends," said Bria Vincent, 15, of Charlottetown. 

"It would mean a lot. I've been dreaming of volleyball and ever played it for amusive since I was 10."

'I privation to correspond my people'

For others, similar 15-year-old Natalie Gallant of Morell, P.E.I., it's a accidental to restart the travel to the games.

She competed successful javelin, changeable enactment and discus successful Halifax, and hopes to instrumentality marque either the way oregon volleyball teams for Calgary.

"It was truly amusive and I would truly similar to spell backmost and vie again to spot if I could marque much memories conscionable similar I did 2 summers ago," she said.

"I privation to correspond Prince Edward Island, and I privation to correspond my people."

Organizers anticipation to dispersed the connection astir NAIG and turn Indigenous engagement successful sports connected the Island.

More events similar Saturday's 1 volition beryllium held successful the months ahead. Team tryouts volition happen sometime adjacent year.

Hogan said it's a accidental to assistance Team P.E.I. adhd to its medal haul, but much importantly to make an acquisition they'll retrieve for a lifetime.

"Medals are surely breathtaking [but] that's not the eventual goal. The eventual extremity is to acquisition sport, effort your best," she said.

"We privation them to vie successful sport, but they're going to beryllium surrounded by Indigenous younker and coaches from 750 antithetic nations, and that is almighty and that's the happening that they're going to remember."