Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Whitehorse Star

LEGACY GAMES – Amber Saunders, Team Yukon flagbearer for the 2007 Canada Winter Games, enters the closing ceremonies with Team Yukon athletes in Whitehorse in this 2007 file photo.

Travelling Canadian sports exhibit to stop in Whitehorse

A new travelling exhibit that showcases the history of the Canada Games will be stopping in Whitehorse.

By Marissa Tiel on February 22, 2017

A new travelling exhibit that showcases the history of the Canada Games will be stopping in Whitehorse.

The exhibit is a joint effort between Canada Games and the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Launched on Feb. 13, in Quebec City, the exhibit is scheduled to make stops in 21 past Canada Games host communities­.

It is scheduled to be on display at the Canada Games Centre in Whitehorse from July 14-22.

The exhibit is part of the Canada Games 50th Anniversary Flag Relay and Community Celebrations.

“Since 1967, the Canada Games have had a rich history of being the catalyst for the growth of sport and recreation across our country,” said Tom Quinn, Canada Games Council Chairman. “Thanks to our great partnership with Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, we are thrilled that we can showcase our history through this dynamic exhibit that will travel to several past host community and reignite the passion that exists for the Canada Games.”

The travelling exhibit will feature artifacts, photos and videos going back to 1967, when the first Canada Winter Games were held in Quebec City.

The exhibit will be focused around the theme of unity and is said to raise the profile of non-mainstream sports like softball, canoe-kayak and synchronized swimming.

Volunteers are also said to be celebrated in the travelling exhibit.

The Canada Games were last in Whitehorse in 2007, when the city hosted the winter version of the event.

It was the first time the Games had ever been hosted north of the 60th parallel and Whitehorse has benefitted from the legacy of the Games.

The Canada Games Centre, used for many of the event’s competitions, is now a one-of-a-kind facility in the North, with its pool, hockey rinks, field house and indoor running track.

The Athlete’s Village helped provide family residence space at the Yukon College.

More than 2,700 athletes competed at the Whitehorse Canada Games, including Team Quebec’s Marianne St.-Gelais, who broke records four short-track speed skating events.

A pep rally for Team Yukon Canada Summer Games athletes will coincide with the flag relay July 21 at Shipyards Park.

The 2017 Canada Summer Games, hosted by Winnipeg this summer, will celebrate the Games’ 50th anniversary and Canada’s 150th birthday.

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