News Release
Anchorage Hosts World Eskimo-Indian Olympics 2007
Anchorage, Alaska – July 26, 2006 – The World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (WEIO) will be held in Anchorage next year for the first time. The Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) will host the annual event July 16 – 20, 2007. WEIO is expected to draw 500 competitors and generate an estimated economic impact (EEI) of $235,000 to the Anchorage economy.
“The World Eskimo-Indian Olympics have been held in Fairbanks for 45 years,” said Carolyn Muegge-Vaughn, ACVB Convention Sales Manager. “Holding it here will be huge for Anchorage.”
“The City of Anchorage and all the other organizations that have stepped forward to support the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics in Anchorage are excited about hosting the 2007 games in the largest Native village in Alaska,” Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich said. “We will work closely with ACVB and the Anchorage Native community to embrace WEIO as a family event that preserves the cultural games, languages and tradition that WEIO is famous for.”
Roy Agloinga, rural affairs coordinator for the Municipality of Anchorage, worked closely with convention sales manager Carolyn Muegge-Vaughn and the WEIO board for the past several months to examine the possibility and benefits of holding the event in Anchorage.
“The general consensus of the membership was that we should see what Anchorage has to offer,” said Perry Ahsogeak, chairman of WEIO’s board of governors. “In the past, we haven’t had competitors from the Anchorage area participating probably because of the high cost of transportation. So it’s an opportunity to showcase the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics and present educational opportunities to those living in Anchorage.”
The World Eskimo-Indian Olympics include 15 events such as the knuckle hop or seal hop, the one-foot high kick, the one-hand reach, the Alaskan high kick, the Indian stick pull and the blanket toss. The logo for the Olympics is six interwoven rings representing the six major tribes in Alaska: Aleut, Athabascan, Inupiaq, Yup’ik, Tlingit and Tsimpsian.
The first World Eskimo Olympics was held in Fairbanks in 1961, drawing contestants and dance teams from Barrow, Unalakleet, Tanana, Noovik and Nome. The event was a big success and has been held annually ever since. For hundreds of years, Native peoples of the circumpolar areas of the world have gathered in small villages to participate in games of strength, endurance, balance and agility. In the past, the goal was to teach survival skills to Native people living in harsh environments. Now it’s also about preserving cultures rich with history, stories and spirituality.
WEIO has captured the attention of media outlets around the world, including “People” magazine, “USA Today,” “Good Morning America,” Discovery Channel, CNN, ESPN and the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Many international television programs from Germany, London, Japan and Norway have also covered the games.
“We’re very excited about the opportunity to host WEIO in Anchorage,” added Muegge-Vaughan. “We’re hoping it will become a tradition to hold the games here every four years. It’s an important event to share with the Anchorage community as well as visitors.”
The Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau’s mission is to attract and serve visitors to the Municipality of Anchorage. ACVB’s marketing functions are funded by one-third of the bed tax collected by the lodging association. One-third goes to the Municipality’s general fund and one-third goes to the Anchorage Civic and Convention construction project. ACVB receives no state or federal funds. For more information, explore www.Anchorage.net.
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Laura Tanis
Public Relations Manager
Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau
ltanis@anchorage.net
(907) 257-2331 direct
(907) 250-5285 cell
(907) 222-3752 fax
Nance Larsen, APR
Vice President, Communications & Marketing Programs
Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau
nlarsen@anchorage.net
(907) 276-4118 direct
