Mushkegowuk leadership congratulates all Mushkego Athletes in 2016 Ontario Aboriginal Summer Games

Press Release

On behalf of all Mushkegowuk citizens, the Mushkegowuk Council of Chiefs, Grand

Chief Solomon and Deputy Grand Chief Rebecca Friday “congratulate” all our youth that participated and did their best in the 2016 Ontario Aboriginal Summer Games.

The Aboriginal Sport and Wellness Council of Ontario (ASWCO) were hosts of the 2016 Ontario Aboriginal Summer Games that were held on July 19-21, 2016 in Brantford and Six Nations.

Aboriginal athletes, aged 13-18, from all across Ontario competed against their fellow competitors in the following events: athletics, archery, canoe/kayak, golf, lacrosse, rifle shooting, and swimming. The Games also provided athletes with development and competition opportunities that will prepare them for 2017 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG). The Summer Games will also give athletes the opportunity to compete in high performance type venues before NAIG, in hopes to further their comfort levels. The OASGs will also be a major identifier for NAIG for the provided sports (source ASWCO).

Grand Chief Solomon says; “the Mushkego athletes who took part in the Games travelled many miles from their remote communities to participate in the games. Youth from our remote communities are not involved in an organized leagues, teams or clubs, and they do not have anything close to proper facilities and equipment, but still they felt it was important to take part in a sport or event they love. Special recognition also goes out to the chaperones who travelled and supported our young athletes and also those who contributed financially to make it happen.”

Even though our remote communities do not have proper facilities and equipment, it’s amazing how much hidden talent our children have…many of our children are naturals, they are gifted in many ways that include sport, music, arts, cultural and academics. Our children continue to do so well at high level competitions and we must work harder at providing more opportunities for all our children and youth” says Deputy Grand Chief Rebecca Friday.

The Mushkegowuk Leadership and citizens look forward to supporting our youth that will represent Ontario in the 2017 North American Indigenous Games.

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