Athlete's Guide to North American Indigenous Games Eligibility 14U-19U 2023

Athletes and coaches must be permanent residents of the province, territory or state (the contingent) they compete for.

• 180 days: your permanent residence must have been within the recognized boundaries of that contingent for at least the 180 days before the Opening Ceremony. You can have only one permanent residence. An athlete who does not meet the 180 days is ineligible to compete.
• Proof: you need legal documentation of residency, such as a Health Card, Driver's License, court documents or other residency documentation the NAIG Council accepts.
• Students away from home: athletes enrolled full-time (the complete year) at an institution outside their home province, territory or state, who do not return home over the summer, may submit an Academic Residency Form naming either their home contingent or the contingent where they attend school.
• Reserves across borders: athletes who live on a reserve or reservation spanning more than one province, territory or state can choose which contingent to try out and compete for.
• Anyone who has a choice of contingent must complete a Residency Declaration Form and give it to the Chef de Mission.

Yes, but only one category up, and only if your contingent does not already have an athlete or team in that older category. For example, a 14U-eligible athlete (born 2009 or later) could move up to 16U if the contingent has not already entered that athlete or team in 16U.

Age categories are set by year of birth for each sport: 14U is 2009 and later, 16U is 2007 and later and 19U is 2004 and later. Wrestling's 19U category is 2004 to 2008. Not every sport has every category, so a sport with only 16U and 19U (such as soccer) has no 14U.

The 2023 NAIG had 14 core sports (the maximum number the Governing Rules allow) plus Beach Volleyball as a trial sport. Medals are awarded to the top three in each event in each age category and gender division.

Years of birth: 14U is 2009 and later, 16U is 2007 and later, 19U is 2004 and later (Wrestling 19U is 2004 to 2008). A team sport only runs in an age category if at least three teams enter it.

Lacrosse, archery and canoe/kayak, as sports traditional to Indigenous peoples, are exempt from elimination from the program.

No to both.

• One sport: athletes can only enter and compete in one sport at the NAIG.
• One team: under no circumstance may an athlete try out for, or compete for, more than one province, territory or state.
• When you may choose: if you live on a reserve whose borders cover more than one province, territory or state (for example Akwesasne Mohawk Territory), you can choose which contingent to try out and compete for. Full-time students at an institution outside their home province, territory or state who do not return home over the summer can name either their home contingent or their school's contingent on an Academic Residency Form.
• In either case you complete a Residency Declaration Form and give it to the Chef de Mission, who shares it with the contingent you chose not to try out for. An Academic Residency Form also needs a confirmation letter from the institution as proof of enrolment.

Each province, territory or state sends its own contingent, and the contingent runs its own selection.

• The Governing Rules say eligibility and team selection must comply with the internal policies of each team.
• The NAIG has no minimum competitive standards for entry into the sporting events. The quality of each team's own selection process is the only way the NAIG sets a high level of competition.
• The NAIG Council sets how many participants Canada and the United States may bring. In Canada the Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC) then allocates numbers to each province and territory. A contingent (athletes, coaches and chaperones together) cannot exceed 550 people.
• Each contingent appoints a Chef de Mission as team lead, and mission staff handle coach and athlete selection processes, registration forms and fees.
• Only athletes registered with a contingent can compete.

The Governing Rules do not set a trial format, so the dates, trial format and criteria are those your own contingent publishes.

Amateur status: every athlete must be an amateur in the sport they enter. Each sport follows its own National Sport Organization's or National Sport Governing Body's definition of an amateur athlete.

Gender inclusion: the NAIG is an inclusive organization and the NAIG Council operates in a way that welcomes people of all genders. Individuals may take part in NAIG sports, disciplines and events in the gender with which they identify, and are not required to disclose any more personal information than cisgender athletes. The policy is based on guidelines published by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, and the NAIG Council and Host Societies will try to accommodate individual participants' needs for care and comfort.

Yes, if you are the age of majority in your province, territory or state. All participants of that age (athletes, coaches, managers, chaperones and mission staff) must give their Chef de Mission a background check completed within 18 months of the Opening Ceremony.

• Canada: a Criminal Record Check and a Vulnerable Sector Check.
• USA: a State Criminal Record Check and a Sex Offender Registry Search.
• You fill out the forms and pay the fees yourself.
• If you turn the age of majority 90 days or less before the Games start, you must be listed and show proof that you applied for the checks (such as a paid receipt from the police).
• A participant who has not been verified through the Chef de Mission's Background Check Form is not eligible to take part.

The following offences on a record mean you will not be permitted to take part: murder or extreme violent behaviour charges, any sex offence charge, soliciting for prostitution, violation of a position of trust (including theft or fraud), criminal driving offences, any weapons charge and arson (all with no time limit), plus trafficking in an illegal substance (10 years), shoplifting under $500 (3 years) and impaired driving (3 years). For a minor offence, the Chef de Mission considers the nature and age of the offence, what the person has done since, and the circumstances.

The NAIG Council expects all participants (athletes, coaches, chaperones and mission staff) to live the NAIG adage "The Spirit, Strong, Brave and True" and to maintain the integrity of participation as Indigenous people through the celebration of health and wellness through sport.

• Zero tolerance: the Games are drug and alcohol free. Illegal drugs, alcohol, cannabis, non-traditional use of tobacco, e-cigarettes and solvents are not tolerated, and neither is use of banned or restricted substances to enhance performance. Behaviour contrary to this results in the immediate loss of all privileges associated with participating in the Games.
• Team handling: incidents involving those substances are normally dealt with by the team's own disciplinary procedures, which can include removal from the Games and a report to the Host Society.
• Team rules: under the Chef de Mission, each team sets reasonable, fair and consistent team rules and submits its Code of Conduct and discipline procedures, including the Zero Tolerance Policy, to the Host Society.
• Discrimination: every Games is a "Discrimination/Harassment Free Zone". Discrimination based on ethnicity, colour, age, gender, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, family status or marital status is not tolerated, and bullying and hazing are prohibited.
• Serious incidents: incidents beyond a team's own procedures go to a Games Disciplinary Committee (two Chefs de Mission and three Host Society representatives including an Elder). Appeals must be made in writing within four hours of the decision.

During the Games, any protest against a participant on ancestry, age or residency must be submitted through the Chef de Mission (the team's lead). These issues are handled at the Chefs de Mission table, as quickly as possible to limit disruption to the competition schedule.

• The athlete in question keeps competing in their sport until the final decision is made.
• The Chef de Mission must be ready to submit personal identification and the relevant documents (such as the Declaration of Indigenous Ancestry Form or letters) on the athlete's behalf.
• The decision made by the Chefs de Mission on eligibility is final.
• A protest application must be accompanied by a $250 cash or cheque fee, in the Host Society's currency, which is refunded only if the protest or appeal is won.

Questions about a participant's Indigenous ancestry during the Games can only be raised through this formal protest process.

The NAIG Council opposes the use of substances and methods banned by the international sport community. Random drug testing may be conducted at the Games using World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) methods if the Host Society has them available.

• A participant found guilty of a doping infraction during an event is immediately suspended from participation in the NAIG.
• The NAIG Council decides any further disciplinary action. The decision is guided by holistic healing principles traditional to Indigenous peoples, while following WADA rules on suspensions.
• Competitive results from the date a positive sample is collected are invalidated, for individual and team events. Scoring, rankings, placings and awards are adjusted and re-awarded as required.

The Host Society must give each team the most up-to-date WADA list of banned substances.