NYO Kicks Off in Anchorage as Traditional Games Test Skill, Promote Cross-Cultural Respect

More than 450 student athletes from communities across Alaska will gather at the UAA Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage for the 49th Annual NYO Games. The 2019 Games run April 25–27, as athletes demonstrate strength, agility and skill in traditional Alaska Native contests, such as the Alaskan High Kick, Wrist Carry and Seal Hop, among others.

Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) has hosted the Native Youth Olympics (NYO) since 1986. The Games, designed to celebrate Alaska’s rich diversity, are open to students of all cultures to compete. This statewide gathering fosters values such as teamwork, leadership, and cross-cultural respect while also testing endurance, skill and balance of both mind and body. NYO’s 10 competitive events are influenced by the skills and abilities originally involved with subsistence activities passed along for generations.

“The NYO Games showcase amazing athletic abilities while emphasizing traditional values like cooperation, interdependence and hard work — values rooted in the history of these Games,” said Gloria O’Neill, President and CEO of CITC. “NYO athletes carry these values forward and share them across cultures in an atmosphere that’s both highly competitive and highly collaborative.”

Event highlights include the Opening Ceremonies, the annual Pilot Bread Recipe Contest and the 2019 Opportunities Expo. Individual results for the 2019 Games will be available daily through CITC’s website and social media sites.

Visit citci.org/nyo-games for additional information.