CBC/Radio-Canada premier media partner of 2017 North American Indigenous Games

CBC/Radio-Canada has been named premier media partner for the upcoming 2017 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), the organization announced Friday.

The eight-day, multi-sport and cultural event will be held in Toronto from July 16-23. CBC/Radio-Canada will provide coverage of the ninth NAIG on multiple platforms through various programming areas across the network.

During the press announcement, CEO of the Games Marcia Trudeau-Bomberry expressed her hope that the promotion of the event through media and community tours will bring "a platform for change for Indigenous youth." 

"Today many of our communities are facing barriers and challenges," Trudeau said. "These Games provide an opportunity — something for our Indigenous athletes to work for, something to celebrate, an acknowledgement of our culture, our strength, our resilience."

The media partnership will include:

• CBC Sports will stream a minimum of 100 hours of live and on demand competition coverage.
• CBC Radio will produce five documentaries telling the stories of the participants who have used sport as a vehicle to overcome challenges to strive for success.
• CBC Arts will produce a variety of digital and radio content reflecting cultural expression during 2017 NAIG.
• CBC News' Indigenous Unit will cover the event through original journalism, story-telling and news coverage. This coverage will be distributed across all CBC/Radio-Canada platforms, including those specifically developed to reach Indigenous people.
• CBC Sports to produce signature 2017 NAIG sport features for a variety of CBC platforms including cbcsports.ca, Twitter and Facebook.

More than 5,000 Indigenous young people aged 13-19 are expected to participate in teams representing all 13 provinces and territories in Canada and up to 13 regions in the U.S.

An integral part of the initiative is the legacy program, #88, which is named for the section of the Truth and Reconciliation report that calls upon all levels of government to take action to ensure long-term Indigenous athlete development and growth.

"If you haven't read the Truth and Reconciliation report, have a look at," said Minister of Indigenous Relations Hon. David Zimmer during his remarks. "Pay particular attention to #88 — that's what this is all about."

Upwards of 1,700 volunteer have registered online to be involved in the event, which will also host cultural festivals, featuring Indigenous artists, traditional learning, vendors, food, cultural performances and nightly entertainment.

The government of Canada and the government of Ontario have each committed $3.5 million to help fund the 2017 Games in recognition of the NAIG as an important agent in promoting Indigenous sport development and recreation in Canada.

The Aboriginal Sport and Wellness Council of Ontario (ASWCO), in collaboration with the City of Toronto and government of Ontario, won the bid to host 2017 NAIG.