Indigenous Games offer more than sport

The 2017 North American Indigenous Games are bringing a message of healing to Toronto, not just through participation in sports, but through a cultural exchange.

Marcia Trudeau-Bomberry, the CEO of the games, emphasizes the cultural exchange is not just between Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people, but First Nations from across the continent. That process starts with Sunday’s opening ceremony at the Aviva Centre at York University.

Running Sunday to July 23 in Toronto, Hamilton and nearby Six Nations, Ont., the North American Indigenous Games — NAIG for short — are for athletes 19 or younger competing in 14 sports including track and field, basketball, baseball, boxing, golf, lacrosse, swimming and soccer, among others. Canadian teams are broken up by province or territory, while U.S. athletes are broken up into 13 regions.

The inaugural NAIG was held in 1990, but this edition has taken on new importance after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action No. 88 requested that all levels of government support the Games to help heal the legacy of residential schools and ongoing systemic racism in First Nations communities.

NAIG encourages the physical health of its competitors, but Trudeau-Bomberry sees the event as a multi-layered approach to healing Aboriginal communities. Part of that is helping non-Indigenous people experience Aboriginal culture and sports. NAIG is also an opportunity for Indigenous youth to meet each other, share their common experiences and appreciate that they’re not alone. The Canadian Press