History of the Winter Games

In March, 1972 at the first Sask Sport annual meeting, the Saskatchewan Government announced the Saskatchewan Games Program.   This Program fulfilled a dream for many people working in amateur sport in the province.   If Saskatchewan was to maintain a respectable position in sport competition, a competitive development and incentive program for its athletes is essential.

In the Summer of 1972, in the city of Moose Jaw, the Games became a reality.   A cultural festival was incorporated in 1990 and has since become an integral part of the total Games program, and a key to its continued success as a Saskatchewan tradition.   Several hundreds of young people will again enjoy participating in the wide variety of cultural activities associated with the Games in 1998. The incorporation of sporting events for disabled athletes during the past several Games has also proved to be very rewarding and successful.

To encourage a province-wide involvement in hosting the Games, Regina and Saskatoon were declared ineligible to host Saskatchewan Games.   This provided the opportunity to other Saskatchewan centres to develop facilities, encourage local programming and to accept the challenge to organizing and hosting the events.

The primary purpose of the Saskatchewan Games program is to:

	stage a major multi-sport event providing an opportunity for high calibre, provincial competition for a maximum number of participants from all zones in the Province, and
	provide a focus for growth and development of amateur sport at the zone level.

The goals of the Saskatchewan Games program are to:

	provide a competitive sporting event that assists in developing athletes, coaches and officials throughout the Province.
	encourage communities, regions, zones and provincial sport governing bodies to co-operate and co-ordinate their efforts in developing sport opportunities.
	provide a provincial showcase which increases public awareness and support for amateur sport in Saskatchewan.
	increase participation in amateur sport.
	strengthen mutual understanding among all participants and encourage provincial spirit and pride.
	provide the host community and the Province in general, with the opportunity for promoting tourism and economic development.

Find your gold...at the end of the rainbow

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1998 Saskatchewan Winter Games
P.O. Box 1998
Nipawin, Saskatchewan
Canada S0E 1E0