Arctic X Games 2016 in Whitehorse cancelled

The Arctic X Games planned for March of 2016 in Whitehorse have been cancelled, now that two out of the five jurisdictions that were planning to compete have backed out.

The event was supposed to feature sports that can't be accommodated at the 2016 Arctic Winter Games in Greenland next March, includinghockey, speed-skating, gymnastics, dog mushing, figure skating and curling.

But the two largest contingents Alaska and Alberta have withdrawn from the event,"and that just doesn't meet the athlete experience we were hoping to achieve with these games," says Yukon'sCommunity Services Minister Currie Dixon.

He says the news is disappointing, but that a scaled-down event would have left some competitors with just a single opponent.

"That, combined with the financials, the budget concerns with having Alaska and Alberta pull out, we just didn't think it was going to work."

The Yukon government committed $100,000 towards the games in March.

Dixon says that money will still go to athletes who'll use it to travel to competitions outside of the territory.

The 2016 Arctic Winter Games will take place as scheduled in Nuuk, Greenland from March 6 to 12.