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Organizers say athlete safety is the priority as Newfoundland’s wildfires start to affect some events at the 2025 Canada Games in and around St John’s.
While the air has remained mostly smoke-free at venues being used by Team NT, one sport featuring the territory’s athletes – beach volleyball – has been postponed.
No beach volleyball took place on Tuesday and Wednesday’s events have also been placed on hold. The Paradise Park venue, just west of St John’s, is close to an area of the town of Paradise that was under an evacuation order as of Tuesday evening.
The fire has not reached the venue. Canada Games organizers said the postponements were out of an “abundance of caution.”
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Team NT’s soccer game against New Brunswick on Tuesday was moved from Conception Bay South – also in an area where wildfires threaten – to the new Fortis Canada Games Complex in the Games’ hub at the Memorial University of Newfoundland campus.
Other sports like sailing and box lacrosse, in which the NWT has no entrants, were similarly the subject of postponements and alternative arrangements.
Soccer and beach volleyball are the only outdoor events in which the territory is involved during the Games’ first week.
On Tuesday, the team told people taking part in the second week of sports – who are due to leave the territory in the next few days – that organizers are providing multiple updates daily, and evacuation orders or alerts aren’t currently affecting arrangements for week two participants and their events.
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The weather in St John’s is expected to shift by the weekend. Blustery weather and 30C heat, conditions NWT residents know only too well to be dangerous in wildfire season, have prevailed over the past few days. There are showers forecast on Thursday, however, and daily highs are expected to drop below 20C on Saturday and Sunday.
While the NWT’s participants have been largely unaffected by the fires beyond beach volleyball’s postponement, the situation is causing considerable concern for local participants and volunteers, thousands of whom are helping to run each day’s events.
On Instagram, the Newfoundland and Labrador team said its members had been “deeply impacted by the wildfires actively burning in Paradise, Spaniard’s Bay, Kingston, Martin Lake and beyond.”
“We are holding each of you in our thoughts during this challenging time, and we stand with every member of our community – athletes, supporters and volunteers alike – as we face these circumstances together,” the team told people affected by the fires.
“On behalf of Team NL, we want to express our heartfelt thoughts and support to all participants, families, supporters and volunteers impacted by the fires. One of the great strengths of sport is its ability to unite us, and we have been moved by the outpouring of care and encouragement from across the country.”
Canada Games organizers said they were “proud of the teamwork” between agencies to ensure the safety of residents, participants and spectators.
Organizers have also introduced drop-in counselling for anyone at the Games who wants to talk to a professional about the fires and any effect on their mental health.
Editor’s note: The author of this article is also serving as Team NT’s volunteer media liaison for the 2025 Canada Games. Cabin Radio is carrying reports from St John’s throughout the two weeks. Listen from 10am-12pm each weekday for the latest.
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