Saskatchewan Games Council Announces Sport Calendar for the
2026 Saskatchewan Winter Games
Ringette will be featured at the Games for the first time since 1998
Regina, SK (November 27, 2023) -- The Saskatchewan Games Council is pleased to announce the 17 sports that will be featured at the next Saskatchewan Winter Games, set to take place from February 15th-21st, 2026.
The 2026 Saskatchewan Winter Games will bring together upwards of 1,800 participants and 5,000 spectators from every corner of the province. The event will be supported by over 1,000 community volunteers and will drive up to $7 million in tourism spending, capital investment, and facility upgrades to the local economy. With the Bid to Host process currently underway, the host community of the 2026 Saskatchewan Winter Games will be officially announced in February 2024.
The 2026 Saskatchewan Winter Games will feature the following sports: Alpine Skiing*, Artistic Swimming, Badminton, Biathlon, Bowling (5 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, which last appeared at the 1998 Saskatchewan Winter Games in Nipawin.
The Saskatchewan Games Council invites provincial sport organisations to apply for inclusion prior to each edition of the Saskatchewan Games. Typically, the level of competition seen at the Games targets the best age-eligible athletes that have the potential to move on to higher levels of competition, and aligns with the “Train to Train'' stage of the Sport for Life Long-Term Athlete Development Model.
The Saskatchewan Games program marked its 50th year this past February at the 2023 Saskatchewan Winter Games in Regina. The provincial multi-sport event has alternated between summer and winter editions every two years since it was first established in 1972, with the exception of 2020 and 2022. Lloydminster is gearing up to host the 2024 Saskatchewan Summer Games next July; the community was originally slated to host the Summer Games in 2020, and was given another opportunity to host after the Games were cancelled due to the pandemic. The most recent Saskatchewan Summer Games took place in Estevan in 2016, and boasted the highest participation rates in the program’s history while generating over $7 million in economic impact for the host city and local area.
Quotes
“Inclusion in the Games is part of our strategic plan to grow the sport across Saskatchewan. We are so excited about this opportunity to demonstrate our sport to the province; at the Saskatchewan Games, we’ll be able to provide this unique multi-sport games experience to as many as 120 athletes and coaches, compared to the Canada Games, where we can only send 17 players. There’s certainly a buzz around our ringette world right now -- they already know this is a big event to look forward to.” -- Andrea Kozan, Ringette Saskatchewan Executive Director
“The Saskatchewan Games have a long and proud history of promoting provincial sport development, and these 17 sports represent an inclusive mixture of long-established and emerging sports and disciplines across our province. The Saskatchewan Games Council looks forward to working with the Provincial Sport Organizations, the Host Community, and Districts to make the 2026 Games a huge success for our province’s young athletes, coaches, officials, and the sport community at large.” - Mark Bracken, Saskatchewan Games Council Executive Director
About the Saskatchewan Games
First established in 1972, the purpose of the biennial Saskatchewan Games is to provide an inclusive opportunity for the province’s developing athletes, coaches and officials to participate in an exciting multi-sport event in preparation for a higher level of competition. Countless Saskatchewan Games alumni have advanced to competition at the national level and beyond, with Olympic champions such as Emily Clarke, Colleen Sostorics, and Lucas Makowsky counting the Saskatchewan Games as a key step in their journeys to the highest levels of sport. The Saskatchewan Games also leave behind valuable legacies that benefit each host community for years to come. To learn more, visit saskgames.ca.
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Media Contact
Karen Lawson
Games Services and Communications Lead
Saskatchewan Games Council
klawson@saskgames.ca | (306) 529-3120