Calgary out as 2027 host

The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) Council announced via press release on August 8 that Calgary will no longer be host city of the 2027 games.

The hosting rights were “withdrawn” from the Calgary Host Society, which had been in charge of planning the logistics of having the games in Calgary.

In the release, the Council said the rights being withdrawn was a “difficult but necessary move,” one made because “it became increasingly clear that critical benchmarks could not be met,” despite “collective efforts” from the Host Society and the NAIG.

It was not specified what those benchmarks were and why the decision was made now.

The NAIG council said the decision had also been made to “uphold the integrity of the Games and ensure the long-term strength of the NAIG movement.”

It was also not specified if an alternative host city had already been chosen, if there would be a nomination period, or if there would be Games in 2027 at all.

The release did say that the Council “remains steadfast in its commitment to Indigenous youth and to the ongoing advancement of the NAIG movement.”

When reached for comment, NAIG council president Rick Brant said that “at this time, we don’t have any additional comments to offer beyond the details provided in the news release.”

The Eastern Door also reached out to the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission (CSSSPNQL), the organization that sits on the board of directors of the NAIG council as representatives of the Eastern Door and the North region that Kahnawake is a part of, who similarly declined to comment until more information was released.

Calgary was first named host of the 2027 games during the 2023 games in Halifax.

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