New Brunswick Indigenous Summer Games cancelled amid COVID-19 pandemic

The 2020 New Brunswick Indigenous Summer Games have been cancelled to protect the athletes and their communities from the spread of COVID–19, but that hasn't stopped the host community from starting plans for 2021.. 

The annual games were set to be hosted this summer in Ugpi'Ganjig, also known as Eel River Bar, during the last week of July and beginning of August.

"I suggested that we cancel in light of the recommendations from the province to not have large gatherings until December 2020," said Cathy Ward, executive director of Aboriginal Sports and Recreation New Brunswick.

"We had to consider that our communities would not be able to safely bring our youth together for ISG registration and practices," Ward said. "If this couldn't be done safely, we had to make the decision to cancel."

Ward said that Ugpi'Ganjig Chief Sasha Labillois gave her full support,  as did the committee involved in coordinating the games.

"All the communities were aware that this was a likelihood to happen," Ward said. "We (ASRNB) just set a date to make a final decision to ensure that there was no financial obligation or expenses that the host community made that they couldn't be reimbursed for."

Will host in 2021

Tanya Simonson, a band councillor for Ugpi'Ganjig who also holds the community portfolio for sports and recreation said it was important for the community to instead host in 2021.

"We had requested that we get to host in 2021, that was very important to Eel River Bar," Simonson said. "ASRNB had no problem with that."

"We kinda all saw it coming," Simonson said about the games being cancelled. "I don't even think there's a pow-wow that hasn't already been cancelled."

"We're even more excited than ever, we've got a whole year to plan the games," Simonson said.

She said Ugpi'Ganjig was working closely with the town of Dalhousie to use their facilities to host some of the events.

"They have a lot of the venues that we don't have," Simonson said. "We would have been using their high school and track."

Winter games a possibility?

Dalhousie announced on April 21 its annual Bon Ami Get Together Festival was also cancelled this year.

"We didn't feel comfortable putting that on them if they were cancelling their events, and then asking them to host ours," Simonson said. "That wouldn't have sat well with us."

Ward said it's also important to set an example to the youth to practise social isolation and not allow them to think because the Indigenous Summer Games are coming up that they should go to the baseball field in their communities to practice.

The games are typically hosted on a rotation between Wolastoqey and Mi'kmaq communities each year. 

Ugpi'Ganjig hosted the games in 2012, before the name was changed from the Indian Summer Games to the Indigenous Summer Games. upon the request from elders to be more representative of the Indigenous nations.

Ward also said Aboriginal Sports and Recreation New Brunswick is considering the possibility of provincial championship tournaments in the winter in place of the Indigenous Summer Games, though it hasn't been decided which sports it may include.

Ward said it's important to find a replacement for the youth, especially athletes who may have missed their last opportunity to take part in the Indigenous Summer Games, which has a 19-and-under age restriction.

"The Summer Games are not just a sporting event, they're a cultural celebration," Ward said. "Bringing our Indigenous youth together across New Brunswick, we get to celebrate who we are in a very proud way."

Simonson added part of the purpose of the games is to allow youth from other communities to have the chance to meet each other and to strengthen a sense of nationhood.

"It was a pro that the kids would get to mingle with kids from other communities," Simonson said. "And we've seen it, we've seen friendships grow every year. It's nice to see."

The games include baseball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and track and field. 

Ward said it is very common for youth to play in several different sports, and in some cases smaller communities will combine to have sufficient players for larger team sports.

The North American Indigenous Games have also been postponed until 2021.