Saskatchewan Winter Games feature competition, cultural events

Amid the extreme cold, the Saskatchewan Winter Games are still underway.

Valerie Sluth, chair of the Regina host organizing committee, told The Greg Morgan Morning Show that there are more than 1,000 athletes competing in the Games.

“When you factor in all of the coaches (and) the officials that have come to our city, it is well into that 1,800 mark,” Sluth said.

She said all the people coming into the city will bring a significant amount of economic activity.

“Past Games have yielded around several million (dollars) in economic impact,” she said. “We expect this one to be more because we have seen more families come just because it’s in a major centre. So we’re seeing not just the athletes come but we’re seeing them bring their moms and their dads and their siblings.”

Sluth said she had hoped for 800 volunteers but they’re a little bit shy of that.

“We have volunteers from all over the city,” Sluth said. “Some of them are working from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. at night every day in the village. There’s been some incredible volunteers helping us out.”

On Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., there will be a panel featuring Sydney Daniels, the first Indigenous woman to be an NHL scout, and her father Scott Daniels, a former NHL player.

In addition to the competitions, the Games have also featured cultural festivals. All of them are scheduled to take place at the Education Auditorium at the University of Regina.

“And then again (Thursday) night, (there’s) another cultural festival,” Sluth said. “The cultural festivals have just been hitting it out of the park. (There were) beautiful, beautiful events (Tuesday) night, amazing dancers from many different cultures.”

The Games’ closing ceremonies are scheduled to take place Saturday.