Saskatchewan Games
Canadian multi-sport event
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The Saskatchewan Summer Games and Saskatchewan Winter Games are biennial multi-sport events held in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The governing body for the Saskatchewan Games is the Saskatchewan Games Council, a non-profit organization who has held responsibility for organizing the Games since 2006. Prior to the Council's incorporation, the program was managed by the Government of Saskatchewan. The Council is a member organization of Sask Sport Inc. and receives funding through Sask Lotteries.
| Saskatchewan Games | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Multi-sport event |
| Frequency | Biennial |
| Location | Various |
| Country | Canada |
| Years active | 1972-present |
| Inaugurated | 1972 (summer) 1974 (winter) |
| Organised by | Saskatchewan Games Council |
| Website | https://saskgames.ca/ |
The most recent Saskatchewan Winter Games took place in Regina from February 18-23, 2023, while the most recent Saskatchewan Summer Games took place in Lloydminster from July 21-27, 2024. The next edition of the Winter Games will take place in Flying Dust First Nation and the City of Meadow Lake from February 15-21, 2026; this will mark the first time in the program's history that a First Nation and neighbouring city will co-host the event.
The purpose of the Saskatchewan Games is to provide an opportunity for the province’s developing athletes, coaches and officials to participate in a multi sport event in preparation for a higher level of competition. Many Saskatchewan Games alumni have gone on to compete at larger national and international events, including the Canada Games and the North American Indigenous Games. A number of Canadian Olympic champions, including Colleen Sostorics, Emily Clark, and Lucas Makowsky, competed at the Saskatchewan Games early in their athletic careers.
History
The games began in 1972 when Roy Romanow, then Minister in charge of the Saskatchewan Youth Agency, announced the inauguration of the Games. The first Saskatchewan Summer Games were held in 1972 in Moose Jaw, and the first Saskatchewan Winter Games were held two years later in North Battleford.[1]
The 2020 Saskatchewan Summer Games were initially scheduled to be held in Lloydminster. They were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on December 21, 2020, it was announced that the games had been cancelled in full due to continued health and safety concerns. Lloydminster received the right of first refusal to host the 2024 Games,[2][3] which it accepted.[4] In January 2022, the 2022 Saskatchewan Winter Games were also postponed due to COVID-19, citing the current Omicron variant and advice from public health officials.[5] The postponed Winter Games went forward in February 2023.
Host cities
Citing that they typically bid for national and international events, and to encourage the Games to be held in smaller cities, Regina and Saskatoon are ineligible to bid for any Saskatchewan Games. An exception was made for the 2023 Saskatchewan Winter Games, which were awarded for the first time to Regina; the Saskatchewan Games Council cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on smaller cities, and as being a special occasion to mark the 50th anniversary of the Saskatchewan Games.[6]
| Summer | Winter |
|---|---|
| 1972 Moose Jaw | 1974 The Battlefords |
| 1976 Swift Current | 1978 Moose Jaw |
| 1980 Estevan | 1982 Prince Albert |
| 1984 The Battlefords | 1986 Yorkton |
| 1988 Melfort | 1990 Melville/Ituna |
| 1992 Prince Albert | 1994 Kindersley |
| 1996 Moose Jaw | 1998 Nipawin |
| 2000 Yorkton | 2002 Humboldt |
| 2004 Weyburn | 2006 Melfort |
| 2008 Lloydminster | 2010 Moose Jaw |
| 2012 Meadow Lake | 2014 Prince Albert |
| 2016 Estevan | 2018 The Battlefords |
| 2020 Cancelled | 2023 Regina |
| 2024 Lloydminster[4] | 2026 Flying Dust First Nation - City of Meadow Lake |
Sports
Summer sports
Archery
Athletics
Baseball
Basketball
Football (called Soccer)
Golf
Canoeing (called Canoe/Kayak)
Rugby sevens
Softball
Swimming- Swimming Special Olympics
Tennis
Triathlon
Volleyball
Wheelchair basketball
Source:[7]
Winter sports
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Source:[8]
Participating teams
Nine district teams, each representing a different region of Saskatchewan, participate in each instalment of the games. Two of the teams (Regina and Saskatoon) represent the province's main urban centres, while the other seven teams represent a mix of urban and rural athletes. The district teams, ordered by population, and the cities they include are listed as follows.[9][10]
- Team Saskatoon (Saskatoon) – 266,141
- Team Regina (Regina) – 226,404
- Team Lakeland (Melfort, Prince Albert) – 124,837
- Team Prairie Central (Humboldt, Martensville, Warman) – 118,729
- Team Rivers West (Lloydminster, Meadow Lake, North Battleford) – 110,432
- Team South West (Moose Jaw, Swift Current) – 101,114
- Team South East (Estevan, Weyburn) – 88,152
- Team Parkland Valley (Melville, Yorkton) – 60,718
- Team North (Flin Flon, La Ronge) – 35,988
Medal tables
| 2012 Saskatchewan Summer Games medals | |
|---|---|
| Location | Meadow Lake |
| Highlights | |
| Most total medals | Regina (113) |
| Most gold medals | Regina (39) |
| Most silver medals | Regina (44) |
| Most bronze medals | South West (30) |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regina | 39 | 44 | 30 | 113 |
| 2 | Saskatoon | 29 | 21 | 18 | 68 |
| 3 | Lakeland | 24 | 21 | 16 | 61 |
| 4 | Prairie Central | 22 | 19 | 16 | 57 |
| 5 | South East | 20 | 25 | 27 | 72 |
| 6 | South West | 13 | 26 | 32 | 71 |
| 7 | Rivers West* | 12 | 13 | 21 | 46 |
| 8 | North | 8 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| 9 | Parkland Valley | 7 | 6 | 9 | 22 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 174 | 177 | 171 | 522 | |
Source:[11]
| 2014 Saskatchewan Winter Games medals | |
|---|---|
| Location | Prince Albert |
| Highlights | |
| Most total medals | Regina (89) |
| Most gold medals | Saskatoon (38) |
| Most silver medals | Regina (30) |
| Most bronze medals | Regina (31) |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saskatoon | 38 | 25 | 24 | 87 |
| 2 | Regina | 28 | 30 | 31 | 89 |
| 3 | Rivers West | 22 | 24 | 21 | 67 |
| 4 | Lakeland* | 22 | 23 | 25 | 70 |
| 5 | Prairie Central | 14 | 7 | 15 | 36 |
| 6 | South West | 13 | 13 | 18 | 44 |
| 7 | South East | 10 | 15 | 12 | 37 |
| 8 | Parkland Valley | 4 | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| 9 | North | 2 | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 153 | 148 | 152 | 453 | |
Flag points winner: Regina
Source:[12]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saskatoon | 54 | 33 | 27 | 114 |
| 2 | Regina | 21 | 31 | 22 | 74 |
| 3 | Prairie Central | 19 | 13 | 19 | 51 |
| 4 | South West | 17 | 18 | 15 | 50 |
| 5 | South East* | 16 | 14 | 23 | 53 |
| 6 | Lakeland | 10 | 8 | 11 | 29 |
| 7 | Rivers West | 6 | 12 | 8 | 26 |
| 8 | North | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 |
| 9 | Parkland Valley | 3 | 13 | 16 | 32 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 150 | 145 | 148 | 443 | |
Flag points winner: Saskatoon
Source:[13]
| 2018 Saskatchewan Winter Games medals | |
|---|---|
| Location | The Battlefords |
| Highlights | |
| Most total medals | Saskatoon (108) |
| Most gold medals | Saskatoon (37) |
| Most silver medals | Saskatoon (41) |
| Most bronze medals | Regina (32) |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saskatoon | 37 | 41 | 30 | 108 |
| 2 | Regina | 32 | 25 | 32 | 89 |
| 3 | Rivers West* | 21 | 26 | 22 | 69 |
| 4 | Prairie Central | 19 | 21 | 18 | 58 |
| 5 | Lakeland | 18 | 6 | 15 | 39 |
| 6 | South West | 12 | 18 | 12 | 42 |
| 7 | South East | 10 | 8 | 15 | 33 |
| 8 | North | 5 | 6 | 6 | 17 |
| 9 | Parkland Valley | 5 | 4 | 6 | 15 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 159 | 155 | 156 | 470 | |
Flag points winner: Saskatoon
Source:[14]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saskatoon | 41 | 30 | 27 | 98 |
| 2 | Regina* | 24 | 21 | 24 | 69 |
| 3 | Prairie Central | 21 | 14 | 16 | 51 |
| 4 | South West | 15 | 14 | 8 | 37 |
| 5 | Rivers West | 8 | 11 | 17 | 36 |
| 6 | Parkland Valley | 7 | 10 | 10 | 27 |
| 7 | Lakeland | 6 | 17 | 11 | 34 |
| 8 | South East | 5 | 7 | 8 | 20 |
| 9 | North | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 130 | 124 | 123 | 377 | |
Flag points winner: Saskatoon
Source:[15]
| Host city | Lloydminster |
|---|---|
| Athletes | 1476 from 9 teams |
| Events | 14 sports |
| Opening | July 21, 2024 |
| Closing | July 27, 2024 |
| Main venue | Centennial Civic Centre |
| Website | Saskgames.ca |
| Summer | |
| Winter | |
Number of athletes by team
| Ranking | Team | Athletes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saskatoon | 208 |
| 2 | Regina | 203 |
| 3 | Rivers West | 185 |
| 4 | Prairie Central | 171 |
| 5 | Lakeland | 170 |
| 6 | South East | 165 |
| 7 | South West | 162 |
| 8 | Parkland Valley | 144 |
| 9 | North | 68 |
Source:[16]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regina | 54 | 29 | 28 | 111 |
| 2 | Saskatoon | 31 | 36 | 28 | 95 |
| 3 | South West | 16 | 13 | 16 | 45 |
| 4 | Prairie Central | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 |
| 5 | Parkland Valley | 7 | 13 | 13 | 33 |
| 6 | South East | 6 | 3 | 11 | 20 |
| 7 | North | 4 | 11 | 5 | 20 |
| 8 | Lakeland | 3 | 9 | 8 | 20 |
| 9 | Rivers West* | 2 | 11 | 13 | 26 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 131 | 133 | 130 | 394 | |
Flag points winner: Regina
Source:[17]