The Saskatchewan Games Council had a busier than usual schedule between August of 2022 and March 2023, thanks to Canada Summer Games and the Canada Winter Games, as well as the Saskatchewan Winter Games all being held within the six-month period.
First up, was the 2022 Canada Summer Games August 6-21, 2022 in Niagara, Ont., which had been delayed from 2021 as a result of COVID-19. The event saw 70 different Saskatchewan communities represented by 377 athletes, 88 coaches and 25 mission staff compete in 18 different sports. At the end of the two-week competition, Saskatchewan brought home 32 medals, including gold medals for the boys’ volleyball team as well as 400-metre women’s hurdler Savannah Sutherland and 5,000-m runner Jasmine Fehr.
Following the conclusion of the Canada Summer Games, attention turned to the winter season, with the Council preparing not only another Saskatchewan contingent to compete at another national event, but also getting things finalized for hosting their own provincial games.
Beginning on February 18 and running until March 5, the Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island featured 217 Saskatchewan athletes, as well as 74 coaches and support staff, 26 mission staff and 26 officials from 60 communities across the province. Once again, Saskatchewan was a success on the podium, totalling 20 medals in 20 different sport events. Gold medals went to girls’ artistic gymnast Rylee Miller for her floor routine, boys’ artistic gymnast Jordan Carroll in the pommel horse event and to speed skating’s Luca Veeman in the boys’ mass start event.
Just one day after the start of the Canada Winter Games, more than 1,600 athletes from every corner of the province descended on Regina for the 50th edition of the Saskatchewan Winter Games. Throughout the weeklong event, the athletes competed in 16 different sports, including alpine skiing, artistic swimming, badminton, futsal, wrestling and more.
The success of these events and the athletes at them was a result of a variety of factors, including funding provided through the Sask Lotteries Trust Fund. The funding is used multiple ways throughout an athlete’s career, including programming for their local sport clubs, equipment purchases and support through SPAE and Future Best. The Saskatchewan Games are also supported through hosting grants.
Without the support of Sask Lotteries, our Saskatchewan amateur athletes wouldn’t be able to reach the levels of success they have at multi-sport games in the province and across Canada.
Mark Bracken – Saskatchewan Games Council Executive Director