The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) Council and NAIG 2020 Host Society are announcing
that the Games, scheduled to be held July 12 – 18 in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Aldershot and Millbrook, have been postponed due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19. During the coming weeks, NAIG Council and the NAIG 2020 team, along with
funders and partners, will be exploring options around the postponement.

“The collective goal for all of us at this time is to keep everyone safe and healthy,” says Tex Marshall,
President of NAIG 2020. “To abide by the recommendations and guidance of the Nova Scotia
government and its healthcare professionals is critical to slowing and eliminating this pandemic,
even if it means the delay of something amazing. We at NAIG 2020 are proud of Nova Scotia’s
remarkable and unfaltering efforts during this crisis.”

The North American Indigenous Games have always been about young athletes, and the
opportunity and the change sport and culture can bring to their lives. While there will be much
planning ahead, it is our intention to work towards the full experience for these young athletes, in
Kjipuktuk (Halifax). Plans include exploring special concessions to ensure that athletes eligible to
compete at the Halifax 2020 NAIG remain eligible to participate in the rescheduled Games.

Says Dale Plett, President of the Council, “The magic of the Games, even before they happened, had
already begun to reverberate throughout the beautiful city of Halifax. The focus now is for NAIG
Council to work with the Host Society, NAIG funding partners and other key stakeholders to deliver
the Games, in Halifax, in 2021. Until then, let’s hold onto the idea of celebration and join together,
then—Indigenous and others—next summer.”