The Arctic Winter Games is a biennial sport and cultural program that brings together youth from the circumpolar north to compete and perform.

The governments of Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories created the Arctic Winter Games in the late 1960’s, during the first Hickel Administration. The Arctic Winter Games International Committee/Corporation (AWGIC) was formed at that time, with corporate directors from each of the participating units. The role of the Arctic Winter Games International Committee is to oversee the long term viability and the strategic direction of the Games. In addition, the AWGIC is responsible for selecting the host site for each Games three years prior to the Games, for supervising and implementing the technical aspects of the sport competition at the Games, and for monitoring the progress of each Host Society as they prepare for the Games.

Yellowknife hosted the first games in 1970. The teams from those three governmental units supplied all the participants in those original Games. Since 1976, teams from outside the original three units have joined in the Games. Alaska has hosted the Games in 1974, 1982, 1988 and 1996. At the 2006 Games in the Kenai Peninsula participants will include nearly 2000 young people and their coaches from Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Northern Alberta, Greenland, Tyumen (Russia) and Chukotka (Russia), as well as a Sami team drawn from the north of Norway, Sweden and Finland. Competition will be held in 20 sports: Alpine Skiing, Badminton, Basketball, Biathlon, Cross Country Skiing, Curling, Dene Games, Dog Mushing, Figure Skating, Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Indoor Soccer, Inuit Games, Short-Track Speed Skating, Snowboarding, Snowshoe Biathlon, Snowshoeing, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Wrestling. A group of cultural performers from each delegation will also perform throughout the week.

The government of the State of Alaska created the Arctic Winter Games Team Alaska Corporation to act on the state’s behalf in organizing the Alaska Team to the Games. What was initially a very small group of athletes and coaches participating in 10 sports, has grown to a group of approximately 375 coaches and athletes participating in 20 sports. The cost of operating Arctic Winter Games Team Alaska through a biennial Games Cycle is approximately $300,000, exclusive of travel costs, which can add up to $500,000 per games, depending upon the location of the Games.

Arctic Winter Games Team Alaska is responsible for all aspects of preparation for the Games: establishing selection procedures and criteria for coaches and athletes in all 20 sports; for communicating information about the Team Alaska program through the media, including the World Wide Web, for procuring team uniforms for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as for competition, for arranging travel not only from Alaska to the Games, but from outlying communities to the points from which Team Alaska flies, or buses, to the Games, and for supervising the Team Alaska effort at the Games by assisting and supporting the coaches and athletes on Team Alaska to ensure that they can compete without hindrance and otherwise participate to the fullest degree possible.

Team Alaska has been supported through a combination of state grants, corporate sponsorships, philanthropic grants, and registration fees paid by all members of Team Alaska. Registration fees for members of Team Alaska are typically $450-$550, and have ranged in recent years from $250-$750. The broad range reflects the variation in travel costs, depending upon the location of the Games

The other principal entity in the Arctic Winter Games structure is the Host Society. Host Society is the term used by the Arctic Winter Games International Committee to describe the corporate entity charged with organizing and conducting the Games. The Host Society is a completely separate entity, in every respect, including finances, from both the Arctic Winter Games International Committee and Arctic Winter Games Team Alaska. Even though the 2006 Games are in Alaska, and Team Alaska will work together with the Host Society on some aspects of the Games, the two are completely separate.