With less than 14 months to go, excitement is ramping up for the 2022 Manitoba Winter Games, which will take place in Niverville. Angela Janz and Chantel Todd, co-chairs of the Games, say that plans are well underway and they are confident the event will be a huge boon for the town.
Janz and Todd have spent the last year deep in preparation, with much of their work taking place well in advance of the official announcement of the Games last February. Since Niverville’s bid was selected, the pair has been busy meeting with staff from Sport Manitoba.
They’ve also faced the daunting task of hiring a divisional chair and Games coordinator, in addition to setting up communication platforms for all the volunteer chairs and their committee members.
They say the COVID-19 pandemic has added stress to the already complex planning process. Normally there would be an information handoff from the Summer Games committee to the Winter Games committee, but since the Dauphin Games had to be postponed, that handoff did not occur.
Janz and Todd say that planning meetings have also been more difficult because the meetings have to be conducted online, which has led to some additional logistical challenges.
Nonetheless, the co-chairs insist there have also been some unanticipated benefits to this new process. For example, there’s far less driving around for everyone involved, and the meetings, although remote, tend to be shorter.
The Games will take place in Niverville, with the exception of two venues. Curling will be played at the Morris Curling Club and alpine skiing will take place at Spring Hill Winter Sports Park. The Games committee will be working with the Hanover School Division regarding transportation to and from these venues. HSD already provided the transportation for the 2016 Summer Games held in Steinbach, so the co-chairs feel that this will work out well.
Niverville Elementary School, Niverville Middle School, and Niverville High School will house the athletes for the duration of the Games. These school-based Athletes Villages will allow for quick access to the various sporting venues. Guests of the athletes will be required to find their own accommodations.
Janz and Todd are certain that hosting the Games will bring many benefits to the town. The new CRRC, currently on track to open on June 1, will bring a major boost to the town and the Games will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the new facility. Local businesses should also see a much-needed boost, with thousands of visitors expected to flood into town every day for the duration of the week-long Games.
The 2022 Manitoba Winter Games will take place February 26–March 5, 2022, and will require upwards of 800 volunteers in order to run smoothly. If you are interested in volunteering, please keep an eye out for an online recruitment drive taking place in 2021.
