Athletic prowess and community pride will both be in the spotlight when the 2026 Saskatchewan Winter Games get underway this Sunday (Feb. 15). Co-hosted by the City of Meadow Lake and Flying Dust First Nation, the Games celebrate athletic excellence, volunteerism and community spirit, and provide young athletes with opportunities to compete, grow and connect through sport.

“The Saskatchewan Winter Games will see youth athletes from across the province come to Meadow Lake and Flying Dust where they will compete in 16 different sports across seven days,” explained Games manager Brittani Dunsing. “It will also attract a number of spectators, parents and coaches to our communities. We will close to double our population for the week, which is very exciting. The city will be filled with a lot of people and a lot of pride. It should be a good time.” This was echoed by Games co-chair Davin Hildebrand. “When you think about our communities being able to host so many people, it really is an opportunity to showcase Meadow Lake and Flying Dust,” he said. “We are going to see people who have never been to Meadow Lake or Flying Dust coming here. We’re going to have so many people, and I believe there will be a buzz throughout our communities the entire time they are here. I hope we can create something memorable, and people will continue to talk about their experiences in our communities for years to come. I believe people will really enjoy what we have to offer.”

Opening ceremonies take place Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Meadow Lake Co-op Centre, with the Games taking place Feb. 15-21 and wrapping up with closing ceremonies Feb. 21 at Flying Dust First Nation. Between those two dates, athletes will compete in such events as artistic swimming, badminton, biathlon, bowling (five-pin and Special Olympics), cross-country and para-nordic skiing, curling, figure skating, futsal, gymnastics, judo, speed skating, table tennis, target shooting, weightlifting, wrestling and ringette. “We have been at this for a year-and-a-half to two years in terms of all the planning,” Dunsing noted. “Our board formed about two years ago, and we have 19 different board members who are all in charge of a division. Each division has a committee, so, in total, there are about 100 people who have been working behind-the-scenes. There’s been a lot of planning, a lot of pieces that go into this… We have a very dedicated group of volunteers who spend countless hours a week to make sure the Games are successful as, well as the legacy within our communities.” Hildebrand agreed. “I’m really excited about where we are at,” he stated. “With a Games of this size there’s a lot of moving parts, but I think things are really coming together. Part of the reason I’m confident in the way things are going is our board and the organizers supporting the board. They’ve just been doing a fantastic job. They’ve put in so much time over the last year-plus. They have been paying attention to every detail, making connections and just doing everything they can. We are so lucky we have such a talented and committed board that has been doing everything it can to make this experience the best it can be for the athletes, and which also works hard to make Meadow Lake and Flying Dust proud.”

Meanwhile, although there was some concern early on about the ability to recruit enough volunteers to assist with the Games, those fears have since subsided as the event draws closer. “I am excited to see everyone come together,” Dunsing said. “We have had so many people jump on board to volunteer and it’s these volunteers who will be the heart of our Games. They are the ones who make these youth Games happen.” These sentiments were shared by Hildebrand. “When people sign up to volunteer for anything, they want to know what they will be doing and when,” he said. “We now have more than 400 volunteers and more volunteers keep coming forward every day. There were more than 150 people at a recent volunteer orientation. It’s been very encouraging to see so many people step up and be willing to be part of the Games. That’s something I was never really worried about. I know so many people in our communities who are proud of where they live, and they want to be part of things. It’s been amazing to see the support we have had. It’s not too late to still sign up to fill a shift and help out. There are so many areas where people can help out as well.”

Local athletes to compete at the Games will include: Eli Eftoda, Oakleigh Madsen, Kaleb Toews, Kisik Stock-Mistickokat, Eve Eftoda and Claire Beaulac (cross-country skiing); Haley Ogilvie, Emery Shkopich, Brooklyn Schilling and Raevyn Loehndorf (curling); Abbigail Wirth (figure skating); Brooke Lariviere (table tennis); Nathaniel Roger (target shooting); Neeko Thibault, Noah Cappelle, Grant Fillion, Scarlett Demers, Denzara Crawford, Shayne Richardson, Audrey Roger and Natalia Gjolena (weightlifting); and Layne Coverchuk, Kihew Stock-Mistickokat, Eli Cappelle, Denzara Crawford and Keadyn Floberg (wrestling).