REGISTRATION FOR THE 2022 ONTARIO SUMMER INDIGENOUS GAMES IS NOW OPEN

Posted on May 19, 2022

The 2022 OSIG, will take place from July 28-31, 2022, in the City of Ottawa on the Traditional Territory and homelands of the Algonquin Peoples.

Algonquin Territory – Ottawa, Ontario – April 29, 2022 – The 2022 Ontario Summer Indigenous Games (OSIG) are expected to be the highlight of the summer for Indigenous youth in Ontario, who have been dreaming about attending an in-person Games, since COVID hit more than two years ago. With only 500 spots available, spaces are expected to fill quickly, given the excitement of a full return to sport. Registration opened earlier today, and can be found via the official 2022 OSIG website, at www.osig.iswo.ca.

From July 28-31, Indigenous youth (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) residing in Ontario between the ages of 13-18, will have the opportunity to participate in a provincial-level Games, that will also act as a Team Ontario athlete identifier for the North American Indigenous Games, set to take place next year in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Dartmouth and Millbrook First Nation, Nova Scotia. Athletes participating in the 2022 OSIG, will be able to choose from 10 sports, including the traditional Indigenous sport of Lacrosse.

The 2022 OSIG is ISWO’s first major event as the organization returns to in-person programming, in a ‘post-covid’ world – or at least in one where large sport events are back on the agenda and can take place with a much lower threshold of risk – and everyone’s raring to go.

“We’re getting a great response from across Ontario for the Ontario Summer Indigenous Games,” said Marc Laliberte, President of Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario. “From parents, to athletes, to our partners and funders, everyone’s excited at the thought of returning to in-person sport competition and giving youth the opportunity to move forward in their sport journeys. Our goal is pretty simple this year – we want to provide participants with a fun, safe and culturally relevant experience – that will inspire and propel youth forward in a good way.”

The 4-day event will begin with an Opening Ceremony scheduled for the evening of Thursday, July 28 at the University of Ottawa campus, and will additionally feature a host of sport competitions, cultural activities and learnings, fun events, sightseeing, a recreational beach volleyball tournament, medal ceremonies, a community feast, and a Closing Ceremony on the Sunday.

Athletes, their chaperones and/or family members will have the option of either staying on campus at the University of Ottawa (which will include accommodations, meals, and transportation to and from sport venues in their package), staying in nearby hotels or campgrounds, or even with family. Organizers expect entire families to attend (utilizing the Games as an opportunity to visit the Nation’s capital and the ancestral homelands and traditional territories of the Algonquin Peoples), and encourage athletes and families to register as soon as possible. Spaces are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Participants aren’t the only ones excited to get back to in-person Games; partners have been keen to identify how they can support the upcoming event, Indigenous athletes and Indigenous sport in general. 2022 OSIG organizers admit to already having a lineup of reputable and well-positioned brands signed up to sponsor the event. Curious as to who they are? Organizers say, you’ll just have to wait. Sponsors are expected to be announced over the coming weeks.

The deadline to register for the 2022 OSIG, is June 3, 2022.

Ontario Summer Indigenous Games Quick Facts:

• The OSIG is an important step in the sport development pathway for Indigenous youth.
• The OSIG was founded by Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario (ISWO), the official Provincial/Territorial Aboriginal Sport Body for Ontario. For more information about ISWO, please visit www.iswo.ca.
• The 2022 OSIG are generously funded by the Government of Ontario, through the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, and supported by Ottawa Tourism and the City of Ottawa.
• CBC is the official media partner of the 2022 OSIG.

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Acknowledgement

ISWO honours the traditional lands and homelands of all Indigenous Peoples and communities across the province of Ontario, including First Nations, Inuit and Métis living both on and off reserve, in rural and urban communities.

Contact Information

Abby Shirazi

Director of Marketing and Communications

Abidah.Shirazi@iswo.ca