Team NT wraps successful 2026 Arctic Winter Games

At the end of the 2026 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse, Team NT was at 98 total ulus, 41 of those being gold.

While admirable, Team Alaska was first at 227 in total, followed by Team Yukon at 174, Alberta North at 127, leaving Team NT in fourth spot, with some minor changes possible.

The NWT’s performance in Whitehorse, reports Team NT — third in terms of gold ulus — is a “significant upgrade” on the Mat-Su Games of 2024 in Alaska, where the territory won 26 titles.

On Friday, the Team NT reported that Grace Kohle scored a bullseye in Archery for a gold ulu, shooting a near-perfect 29/30 in one end en route to defeating Yukon’s Mya Wilson. Team NT’s Emily Gilmour took bronze.

“I wasn’t expecting to beat Mya once, let alone twice,” Kohle told Team NT. “My goal was bronze or silver, so I’m really excited.”

In Arctic Sports, both Chris Stipdonk and Veronica McDonald added to their medal tallies, McDonald winning the Kneel Jump to add to her arm pull title.

Knuckle Hop champion Stipdonk won the airplane contest and set his second world record of the week in the process.

“It’s fantastic. It’s been a dream come true,” reported Team NT.

Stipdonk and his daughter, Lindsey, have each set multiple world records in the past five days — Lindsey doing so in speed skating, where she won 1,500m gold on Friday, as did Yuma McEachern, Brigid Murphy and Peter Mahon in another Team NT sweep.

Russel MacKay and Seiya McEachern took silver.

In Speed Skating, Team NT reports that relays concluded action at the Canada Games Centre’s arena on Friday, where Team NT won U15 male and U19 female gold alongside U15 female silver.

Team NT’s wrestlers won five ulus in Inuit wrestling on Friday, including gold for Jade Omingmak and Emma Pedersen. Corbin Alonak and Tessa Nendsa won silver with Kyle Thibault taking bronze.

Last thing on Friday night, Team NT’s Atticus Willkomm won mixed curling gold alongside an Alberta North team-mate.

On Saturday morning, in the very last event of the Games in Whitehorse, Team NT’s U16 female futsal players produced two scintillating goals to win gold

Georgia Debogorski denied the Alaskans a tying goal in the dying seconds.

“When I made that save, the crowd went crazy and it felt really good for me,” Debogorski told Team NT.

A closing street-party ceremony happen Saturday afternoon in downtown Whitehorse. Team NT’s athletes fly home Saturday night and Sunday morning,

The next Arctic Winter Games are scheduled for 2029 as the Games move to a three-year cycle. A host jurisdiction for the next edition has yet to be announced

– with files from Team NT

Cultural Gala celebrates culture, creativity and the spirit of the North.

This year there were nine contingents participating over the two-night event, including Team Nunatsiavut who were part of the Gala for the first time.

At the opening night on Thursday, many honoured guests were in attendance, including Commissioners from three territories: Adeline Webber (Yukon) Gerald W. Kisoun (Northwest Territories) and Eva Qamaniq Aariak (Nunavut).

Stated Commissioner Kisoun: “It was so nice to see the Cultural Gala and to see some great performances indeed. I enjoyed seeing my nephew and friends performing in the Mackenzie River Dancers, Ha’aii, Quyanaq.”

The Mackenzie River Dancers from Team NT offered a lively fiddle-music jigging performance, which got the audience clapping their hands and tapping their toes.

The Mackenzie River Dancers are a cultural dance group based in Inuvik, dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and sharing Indigenous culture through traditional dance and music.

– posted to Ulu News by Cultural Gala Production Manager Brenda Pilatzke-Vanier.