Kyle Worl demonstrates the One Foot High Kick, an event in the Native Youth Olympics. (Photo by Adelyn Baxter/KTOO)
Organizers have rescheduled a Native Youth Olympics event in Ketchikan after the initial Southern Regional Games were postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak at the high school.
The Native Youth Olympics Traditional Games consist of 10 events inspired by hunting and survival skills of the state’s Indigenous people. Sealaska Heritage Institute organizes the games in Southeast Alaska.
The games were originally scheduled for this past weekend at Ketchikan High School. They were postponed after several attendees at a school-sponsored wrestling tournament tested positive for COVID-19, briefly shuttering the school.
SHI says it has rescheduled the southern games for Saturday and Sunday, May 22 and 23 in Ketchikan. The Northern Regional Games are set to take place this weekend in Juneau. Organizers say all competitors will be screened and tested prior and during the competitions. Masks will be required.
Spectators are not allowed to attend in person due to COVID-19 precautions, but the games can be live-streamed at sealaskaheritage.org.
