Arctic Winter Games
Traditional Inuit strength, agility and pain-tolerance events — one-foot high kick, ear pull, knuckle hop, mouth pull.
What is Arctic Winter Games?
The Arctic Winter Games is a biennial international multi-sport event held since 1970 across the circumpolar north. Alongside familiar winter sports, it showcases traditional Inuit and Northern-Indigenous games that developed to test skills essential for Arctic survival — the one-foot and two-foot high kick, the Alaskan high kick, the ear pull, the knuckle hop, the airplane, the mouth pull, the arm pull. Each demands terrifying strength, balance and pain tolerance.
Quick facts
Category
Traditional & Cultural Sports
Type
Individual
Players
1–500
Where played
both
Country of origin
🇨🇦 Canada
Estimated origin
Traditional Inuit and Northern-Indigenous games; Arctic Winter Games formalised 1970
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional