Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc will be the B.C. representative for the 2027 North American Indigenous Games.

The band and the City of Kamloops announced Friday that the Tournament Capital will compete against others western provinces and territories in Canada.

“This is a historic opportunity for our people and our Nation, to host Indigenous athletes from across North America, and to showcase our beautiful land and Secwépemc culture,” Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir, said.

“This event would be the largest hosted in the history in this area [and] I am extremely confident in our ability to compete and to host the 2027 North American Indigenous Games.”

If successful, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and Kamloops will welcome up to 6,000 athletes, coaches, team staff, and cultural performers from over 756 Indigenous Nations in Canada and the United States, generating as much as $15 to 20 million in economic spending in the area.

Each edition of the North American Indigenous Games feature eight days of competition in up to 16 sports, including 3D archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, box lacrosse, canoe/kayak, golf, rifle shooting, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball, and wrestling.

“You know the City of Kamloops has been known as the Tournament Capital of Canada for well over a decade,” Deputy Mayor, Mike O’Reilly said. “We have invested well over $60-million in our facilities to date to be a welcoming place to host these types of events.”

The City has already committed up to $500,000 of in-kind support in the form of facilities and staff time as well as a potential cash contribution, should the bid be successful.

The Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (I·SPARC) also announcing today that it will commit up to $75,000 to assist this bid.

The North American Indigenous Games Council will use a scoring system that assists the bid committee, with the winning bid to be announced by mid-July 2023.

“We are incredibly impressed with the partnership formed between Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc and City of Kamloops and their vision for hosting the 2027 NAIG in the traditional territories of the Secwépemc peoples,” I·SPARC CEO, Rick Brant, said, in a statement.

“A welcoming community, strong leadership, world-class facilities, and the impressive resume of hosting provincial, national, and international sport events make Kamloops the ideal location for the NAIG. We are excited with the opportunity to support Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and City of Kamloops through the bid process.”

If Tk’emlúps wins the overall bid in July, it would be the third time the Indigenous games are hosted in B.C., after Victoria in 1997 and Cowichan in 2008.