Arctic sports

Many of the sports and disciplines are largely athletic in nature, while others lean more towards martial arts or gymnastics.

Most sports originating from the Arctic have their roots in the hunting and fishing traditions of the indigenous peoples of the region.

Hunting and fishing were an essential part of life in the Arctic, and training and practicing for the necessary skills was vital.

Some Arctic sport disciplines originate from camp life and general recreation, having served as entertainment for the tribe.

[6][2] The high kicks are disciplines in the Arctic Winter Games, where three attempts at each height is allowed.

[7] The highest recorded one foot high kick is 2.92 meters (9 feet 7 inches), set by Stuart Towarak at the 2018 Arctic Winter Games.

[2][10] The highest recorded two foot high kick was set at the 1988 Arctic Winter Games by Brian Randazzo.

[2][12] The highest recorded Alaskan high kick is measured at 2.39 meters (7 feet 10 inches), set by Jesse Frankson at the 2002 Arctic Winter Games.

From this kneeling position, the athlete jumps up and forward as far as possible, landing on their feet without losing balance.

[22] The knuckle hop world record is held by Chris Stipdonk, marking 61.2 meters (200 feet 8 inches) at Arctic Winter Games tryouts in 2020.

The athlete will be in a pushup position on their palms and toes, then jump forward in the same fashion as in the knuckle hop.

[25] The airplane discipline consists of the athlete lying on the floor face down, with arms outstretched.

[7][26] In the Arctic Winter Games, the discipline was measured by distance until 2016 where it was changed to a timed event.

The record for longest distance made in airplane was set by Makabe Nartok in the 1986 Arctic Winter Games, with 48.98 meters (160 feet 8.5 inches).

The greasy stick tests the athlete's grip, and is similar to holding a fish by its tail.

[29][26] The snow snake (occasionally spelled as one word, "snowsnake") discipline originates from the Iroquois and Dene.

The discipline is known from the Dene, where it would act as strength training to prepare them for carrying wooden canoes over great distances.

Historically the discipline was a way to train enduring the pain from frostbites, with sacks of flour used before lead weights.

The trampoline is made up of walrus hide or a seal skin blanket, held by 40 to 50 volunteers.

The objective of the blanket toss discipline is to get as high as possible, while also managing balance and style in the air.

[26] In the World Eskimo Indian Olympics there are a number of disciplines around traditional camp life.

Those include fish cutting, seal skinning and maktak eating, where the competitors attempt to perform the task as quickly as possible.

It consisted of the athlete leaning backwards on a wooden pole, attempting to bend back as far as possible.

At the 1974 Arctic Winter Games Arctic sports were officially added to the sports program, with a total of six disciplines: kneel jump, two foot high kick, one foot high kick, one hand reach, back bend and rope gymnastics.

[39][40] The World Eskimo Indian Olympics feature solely Arctic and indigenous sports.

The first edition of the games were held in Fairbanks in 1961, featuring just three sports disciplines (high kick, blanket toss and seal skinning), as well as cultural events.

The competition generally receive broad coverage in Greenland, with KNR broadcasting the events live.

[41][42] The Native Youth Olympics (also known as the NYO Games) began in 1972 and is a local contest in Arctic and indigenous sports, set in Alaska.