The 2016 Native Youth Olympic Games Alaska (NYO Games Alaska) will be held from April 21-23 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. Over 2,000 students from more than 50 Alaska Native communities will compete in traditional cultural events like the Seal Hop, which challenges participants to hop in a push-up position while racing. The goal is to encourage leadership, sportsmanship, and learning about Alaska Native traditions through athletic competition.

1. 18 Alaska beyond Magazine april 2016
WaydeCarrollPhotography(2)
Appay Campbell of Bering
Strait School District displays
her medal after winning the
Girls’ Kneel Jump at the 2015
NYO Games Alaska.
Drawing on Alaska Native tradi-
tions, the 2016 NYO Games Alaska
(Native Youth Olympic Games), at
Alaska Airlines Center, will encourage
young adults to learn skills in leader-
ship and sportsmanship while they
participate in events that are truly a
part of the region’s history.
Opening ceremonies will be held on
April 21, with a grand entry of teams
from different communities. Competi-
tions and award ceremonies will take
place each day, through the closing
ceremony on April 23.
More than 50 communities and
2,000 students (including returning
record holders) will come together to
compete in games such as the Seal
Hop (shown above). Historically used
as a method for hunting seals on the
arctic ice, the Seal Hop event chal-
lenges participants to hop in the
push-up position while racing against
other athletes.
Alaska Airlines is a sponsor of the
2016 NYO Games Alaska. For more
information, call 907-793-3412 or visit
citci.org/nyo. —Anna Jacobson
Olympics of the North
anchorage, ak
Athletes at the
NYO Games Alaska
compete in events with
cultural significance,
such as the Seal Hop.
journal