More than 300 athletes and coaches representing Saskatchewan competed in the 2017 Canada Summer Games that wrapped up on August 13, 2017 in Winnipeg. The Games, which are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, featured 16 sports for young Canadian athletes to display their talents as they competed in the largest bi-annual multi-sport event of its kind in Canada.
“We want to congratulate Team Sask for their strong performance at this year’s games,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said. “This was a great event to showcase the excellent athletic talent in Saskatchewan. It was also an opportunity to celebrate and share the artistic and cultural offerings of our province.”
Team Sask placed first in Men’s Baseball, 100m Backstroke Para Female Swimming, 100m Breaststroke Para Female Swimming, 200m Medley Para Female Swimming, 50m Freestyle Para Female Swimming, Sailing 2.4m Para Mix, Women’s 800m Athletics, and Men’s 1500m Athletics. Saskatchewan’s medal count of 35 was comprised of eight gold, 10 silver and 17 bronze medals, ranking them seventh overall against Canada’s other provinces and territories.
In addition to the competitions, Saskatchewan was an active participant in the Jeux du Canada Summer Games Festival, hosting a “Saskatchewan Day” on August 6. Event attendees enjoyed performances by The Pistolwhips, Buffy Sainte-Marie and the Sheepdogs. The travelling Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame exhibit and the Saskatchewan Sports and Culture exhibit also received a lot of attention with our very own Saskatchewanderer attending the festivities to promote the best our province has to offer.
“For the day, I set up camp in a booth to chat with festival goers from all over the country about why they should plan their next vacation to the Land of the Living Skies,” 2017 Saskatchewanderer Andrew Hiltz said. Visitors to the Saskatchewan Sports and Culture exhibit were encouraged to experience the beauty of our province first-hand with a free one-day entry pass to any one of Saskatchewan’s provincial parks.
