Athlete's Guide to Arctic Winter Games Arctic Sports and Dene Games 2026

Arctic Sports: each Participating Unit (contingent) may enter up to 18 athletes: 5 U17 males, 5 U17 females, 4 Open males and 4 Open females, plus 4 coaches (2 male and 2 female).

Dene Games: each unit may enter up to 16 athletes: 4 U18 males, 4 U18 females, 4 Open males and 4 Open females. The package lists 2 male and 2 female coaches.

Coaches: if qualified coaches are available, or the AWGIC Technical Director and Technical Coordinator approve otherwise, at least one coach must be female and at least one male. If a coach of one gender is not available, a chaperone of that gender must be substituted. Units must make sure coaches are screened and trained under their own jurisdiction's coaching standards.

Selection: each contingent chooses its own athletes. The AWG International Committee's policy gives contingents direction for selecting athletes, and says a contingent may add its own eligibility requirements as long as they do not go against the intent of the AWGIC policies. Athletes must also comply with all the rules of their contingent.

Registration: all athletes, coaches and chaperones must be registered, including for specific events, in the Games electronic registration system (GEMS.pro) no later than 14 days before the Opening Ceremony. Chefs de Mission make sure their delegation does this. Roster changes in the final 14 days go through the Host Society.

All competitors in both sports must have been born in 2013 or earlier to meet the AWG International Committee's minimum age.

Age class names follow a formula: "U" followed by 1 plus the age, on December 31 of the year before the Games, of an athlete born in the earliest year of eligibility for that class.

Aging up: to bring a participant who is below the minimum age for their age group, the Chef de Mission submits an online request to the AWGIC Technical Director at least 30 days before the Opening Ceremony. The Technical Director replies within 48 hours of submission.

Minimum age waiver: participants must be at least 12 as of December 31 immediately before the Games. A contingent wanting to bring someone younger makes a request through the same online process, at least 30 days before the Opening Ceremony.

The Arctic Sports competition program has these events, plus an All-Around:

• One Foot High Kick: all classes
• Two Foot High Kick: all classes
• Alaskan High Kick: all classes
• Kneel Jump: all classes
• Triple Jump: all classes
• Airplane: Open Male only
• One Hand Reach: Open Male and Open Female only
• Head Pull: Open Male only
• Arm Pull: Open Female and Junior (U17) categories only
• Knuckle Hop: Open Male only

Arctic Sports and Dene Games are the only Arctic Winter Games athletic events with adult categories, which the Games website says reflects the importance of positive mentorship within Indigenous cultures. Arctic Sports are traditional games that, since time immemorial, have been part of life for Inuit peoples across a vast area from Alaska to Greenland, used to develop abilities such as balance, flexibility, strength and pain tolerance.

For 2026 the Arctic Sports competition ran Monday, March 9 to Friday, March 13, 2026, at St. Francis of Assisi Secondary School in Whitehorse.

Height events (One Foot High Kick, Two Foot High Kick, Alaskan High Kick and One Hand Reach)

• You have three attempts at each height, and only successful athletes move to the next height. Each attempt is limited to 90 seconds (3 minutes when three competitors remain), and an official raises a flag when one minute remains.
• The target is raised 4 inches (10 cm) after each round, then 2 inches (5 cm) when four competitors remain. The highest successful height wins, and the rotation is drawn. It is a finals-only event.
• One Foot High Kick: take off from both feet at once, strike the target with one foot, and land on that same foot in balance and control.
• Two Foot High Kick: take off from both feet together, strike the target with either foot (top of the toes even and parallel), and land on both feet at the same time.
• Alaskan High Kick: from a seated start, grasp one foot with the opposite hand, balance on the free hand, kick the target with the free foot while holding the other foot, and land on the kicking foot with the buttocks not touching the floor.
• One Hand Reach: balance on your hands with your feet off the floor and strike the target with one hand, then return the striking hand to the floor without any other body part touching the floor first.
• Ties for a medal are broken by fewest total misses, then by the athlete with a miss at the lowest height ranking lower, then by a kick-off or reach-off starting one inch above the highest successful attempt.

Distance events (Kneel Jump and Triple Jump)

• Kneel Jump: start kneeling with both knees behind the starting line, thrust the body and arms up and forward and extend the legs forward. You must land balanced with the feet not moving, sliding or pivoting. Distance is measured from the starting line to the heel closest to it.
• Triple Jump: from a running or standing start, you make three consecutive jumps using both legs at once (no galloping), with the last landing on both feet. Your feet must not touch the start line on the first jump.
• Both give three attempts of up to 90 seconds each, and the best distance counts. Ties for a medal are broken by the second-best then third-best attempt, then a jump-off.

Braces, sports tape, ice, massage guns, rollers and compression clothing are prohibited from the start of competition until you finish competing. Jewellery and headphones can be worn between attempts but not during one.

Head Pull (Open Male only)

• Two competitors lie on their stomachs facing each other with a looped leather thong or belt over the back of their heads above the ears, then rise onto hands and feet only. On the judges' signal they pull backwards with the head, in one pull directly back and parallel to the ground.
• A competitor loses if their hands cross the line on their side, the loop comes off their head, or any part of the body other than the hands and feet touches the floor. Double elimination, with pairs drawn.

Arm Pull (Open Female and Junior categories)

• Competitors sit facing each other, lock arms at the bent elbow and pull slowly and steadily at the elbow, bracing the other hand on the opponent's ankle. The pull must be straight back with no twisting, and knee-to-elbow contact is not allowed.
• It is best of three pulls, double elimination. A pull is won if the opponent is pulled over the top, the opponent's hand touches their chest or their arm is straightened. A third infraction is a loss.

Airplane (Open Male only)

• The competitor lies face down, rigid, arms out at right angles and fists and feet on the floor, and four to six assistants lift and carry them (2 to 3 feet, or 60 to 90 cm, off the floor) over a pre-set course at a pace set by a pacer.
• One attempt only. The competitor travelling the longest time wins. They are stopped if the body sags below the arms, the buttocks rise above the arms or the elbows bend past 45 degrees. No warnings are given.

Knuckle Hop (Open Male only)

• Starting in a push-up position on fists and toes, the competitor hops forward on the knuckles and toes only, keeping the body off the floor and no higher than the top of the elbows.
• One attempt of up to 90 seconds. The distance hopped before quitting or lowering the body to the floor is measured from the shoulders, and the longest distance wins. No warnings are given, and the Head Official and counters may disqualify a competitor for any infraction.

The All-Around is a separate medal in each category, scored by points from the individual events.

• Points: 1st place earns 10 points, 2nd 9, 3rd 8, 4th 7, 5th 6, 6th 5, 7th 4, 8th 3, 9th 2 and 10th 1. Nobody ranked 11th or lower earns points.
• Minimum events: to be considered for the All-Around you must enter at least 4 events if you are Junior (U17) Female, Junior (U17) Male or Open Female. Open Male athletes must enter at least 6 events (the Games website also states six for Open Males).
• Ties for a place in the top ten: tied competitors each get the points for that place and the next places are skipped. For example, two athletes tied for 4th each get 7 points, and the next athlete is ranked 6th and gets 6 points.
• Ties for the All-Around medal positions follow the same tie-break and ulu rules as individual events.

Measurements are in imperial units (feet and inches) when the Games are in Canada or the US, and metric when they are in Kalaalit Nunaat (Greenland).

The 2026 Dene Games program has five events plus an Individual All Around. Each event is held on its own day, for all categories together, with a practice day on the Sunday before.

The 2026 Games competition was Monday, March 9 to Friday, March 13, 2026, at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre in Whitehorse.

All Around points go to the top ten in each event: 10 points for first, 9 for second, 8 for third, 7 for fourth, 6 for fifth, 5 for sixth, 4 for seventh, 3 for eighth, 2 for ninth and 1 for tenth. In Stick Pull and Finger Pull, ties for 5th, 7th and 9th share the points (5th and 6th share 11 points, 7th and 8th share 7 points, and 9th and 10th share 3 points).

Officials for the Dene Games are one Head Official, eight judges and a Master of Ceremonies. During competition athletes cannot wear jewellery or equipment such as headphones or ear buds that may become detached and create a safety hazard.

Both are best of three pulls and both use a double elimination format with the first pairs drawn.

Stick Pull

• Two players stand beside each other facing opposite directions, with bare hands and a greased stick placed in their hands by the official. Players pull straight backwards with a hard, steady motion, the pulling elbow locked, the non-pulling hand on the hip or behind the back, shoulders not dropped and heels on the floor after the initial movement.
• The first pull is with the right hands, the second with the left hands, and a third pull if needed is decided by a coin flip (called by the winner of the first pull).
• A pull is won when the stick is pulled from the opponent's hand, or when a player pulls the stick past their hip, holds it there for 8 seconds and the opponent is still gripping it.
• Officials give no warnings for infractions once the competition has started. An infraction means that player loses that pull. Players cannot wash their hands or wipe off the grease until the second pull is over.
• Where there is a height difference, officials have the smaller competitor stand on a platform so the hands are at the same level.

Finger Pull

• Players sit facing each other with their middle fingers locked in a hook position. One player is defensive and the other is offensive.
• The first pull is as set up, the second pull reverses positions, and a third pull if needed has positions decided by a coin flip.
• The offensive player pulls with a strong, slow and steady motion, with no jerking, squeezing, re-gripping or twisting. The pull is won if the defensive player's elbow moves forward, the finger straightens, the grip is lost or they signal giving up. If the offensive player cannot do this within 8 seconds, the defensive player wins.
• Infractions: the first costs the pull, the second the match, and the third means disqualification from the event, carrying over from one match to the next.

Snow Snake

• Throw: from behind the throwing line, using one hand and an underhand (below the hip) delivery, you throw the spear along the surface of the snowfield. You may use a run-up of up to 20 feet and must not cross or touch the line.
• Attempts: the order is drawn. You get three attempts and one practice throw before the competition begins.
• Scoring: the distance from the throwing line to the tip of the spear (or to where it exits the trough) is measured, and the longest distance wins. The spear can leave and re-enter the trough.
• Spears: the Host Society provides practice spears, and other spears are not permitted. Contingent representatives and the Head Official choose two spears to be used for the whole competition.

Hand Games

• Teams have four players and a coach. A team of three can enter if a contingent has only three competitors in a category or a fourth has been removed from the Games for injury.
• Teams take turns hiding and guessing, kneeling in pairs facing each other to drumming. Each game has 12 small sticks and three larger sticks. A match is won by winning two rounds, and the competition is double elimination.
• Each match is limited to 30 minutes. Time-outs are not allowed, and nobody may assist teams with signals.
• Players get one warning for an infraction. Later infractions cost one stick each.

Pole Push

• Teams of four push forward on a pole, no higher than the shoulder and no lower than the hip, to push the other team fully out of the ring. Teams cannot pull, hold in place, swing the pole or let go.
• A push is lost if the pole goes down, a player crosses the pole's centre line, or the team moves up the pole to avoid being pushed out.
• Each match is best of three pushes, and the competition is double elimination with the initial pairs drawn.
• Spiked shoes are not allowed. Gloves or mittens may be used but rubber grips may not.

Medals are ulus in gold, silver and bronze colours, awarded separately in each age class and gender, and the Technical Packages also provide ulus for the All-Around competition.

Ties for medals: two medals are awarded for that position and none for the next one. A tie for gold means no silver ulu is awarded. A tie for silver means no bronze ulu is awarded. A tie for bronze means two bronze ulus are awarded.

Disputes on the field of play: each sport has its own sport-specific jury for protests. Decisions made under the existing rules are final. A decision can only be appealed to the Games Jury if one of these applies: the rules in the Technical Package were not followed, there was an error in fact, or the dispute resolution procedures of the relevant international federation, national governing body or AWGIC exception were not followed.

There is no international sport federation rulebook for Arctic Sports, so the Arctic Winter Games technical rules in the Arctic Sports Technical Package govern the competition.