{"id":65297,"date":"2025-08-13T00:53:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T00:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/65297\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T00:53:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T00:53:13","slug":"how-wildfires-are-affecting-team-nts-sports-at-the-canada-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/65297\/","title":{"rendered":"How wildfires are affecting Team NT\u2019s sports at the Canada Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Organizers say athlete safety is the priority as Newfoundland\u2019s wildfires start to affect some events at the 2025 Canada Games in and around St John\u2019s.<\/p>\n

While the air has remained mostly smoke-free at venues being used by Team NT, one sport featuring the territory\u2019s athletes \u2013 beach volleyball \u2013 has been postponed.<\/p>\n

No beach volleyball took place on Tuesday and Wednesday\u2019s events have also been placed on hold. The Paradise Park venue, just west of St John\u2019s, is close to an area of the town of Paradise that was under an evacuation order as of Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n

The fire has not reached the venue. Canada Games organizers said the postponements were out of an \u201cabundance of caution.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Team NT\u2019s soccer game against New Brunswick on Tuesday was moved from Conception Bay South \u2013 also in an area where wildfires threaten \u2013 to the new Fortis Canada Games Complex in the Games\u2019 hub at the Memorial University of Newfoundland campus.<\/p>\n

Other sports like sailing and box lacrosse, in which the NWT has no entrants, were similarly the subject of postponements and alternative arrangements.<\/p>\n

Soccer and beach volleyball are the only outdoor events in which the territory is involved during the Games\u2019 first week.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the team told people taking part in the second week of sports \u2013 who are due to leave the territory in the next few days \u2013 that organizers are providing multiple updates daily, and evacuation orders or alerts aren\u2019t currently affecting arrangements for week two participants and their events.<\/p>\n

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The weather in St John\u2019s is expected to shift by the weekend. Blustery weather and 30C heat, conditions NWT residents know only too well<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

While the NWT\u2019s participants have been largely unaffected by the fires beyond beach volleyball\u2019s postponement, the situation is causing considerable concern for local participants and volunteers, thousands of whom are helping to run each day\u2019s events.<\/p>\n

On Instagram, the Newfoundland and Labrador team said its members had been \u201cdeeply impacted by the wildfires actively burning in Paradise, Spaniard\u2019s Bay, Kingston, Martin Lake and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are holding each of you in our thoughts during this challenging time, and we stand with every member of our community \u2013 athletes, supporters and volunteers alike \u2013 as we face these circumstances together,\u201d the team told people affected by the fires.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Canada Games organizers said they were \u201cproud of the teamwork\u201d between agencies to ensure the safety of residents, participants and spectators.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note:\u00a0The author of this article is also serving as Team NT\u2019s volunteer media liaison for the 2025 Canada Games. Cabin Radio is carrying reports from St John\u2019s throughout the two weeks. Listen from 10am-12pm each weekday for the latest.<\/p>\n

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