Native Youth Olympics

For thousands of years and countless generations, survival for Alaska Native people depended not only on individual strength, skill and knowledge, but also on the ability to work together toward common goals.

Traditional athletic contests and games helped develop these and other skills critical to everyday life in the challenging Alaska environment. Today’s NYO Games Alaska carries on in this spirit by encouraging young people to strive for their personal best while helping and supporting their teammates—even other teams.

Today’s world is very different than when these games originated, and the skills and values they instill are just as important now as then. NYO Games Alaska is one of a small handful of events—along with the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (WEIO) and the Arctic Winter Games—based on these traditional northern latitude contests.

While WEIO is limited to Native athletes, NYO Games Alaska and the Arctic Winter Games are open to all participants, as a way of sharing and celebrating Native traditions.