File photo (Image credit: CFJC Today).

By Aaron Schulze

2025 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships

Kamloops and Tk’emlúps to host 2025 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships

May 13, 2024 | 11:18 AM

TK’EMLUPS — The National Aboriginal Hockey Championships are coming to Kamloops and Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc in 2025.

The national tournament that showcases U-18 First Nation, Inuit and Métis hockey players competing for the Turtle Island Cup in separate competitions will take place in Kamloops and Tk’emlups from May 5 to 10, 2025. The National Aboriginal Hockey Championships were established by the Aboriginal Sport Circle and sanctioned by Hockey Canada.

“As the proud host of the upcoming National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, we are honored to welcome elite Indigenous hockey players from across Canada to our city. This event not only showcases exceptional talent but also celebrates cultural unity and pride,” Justin Gottfriedson, acting Kúkpi7, states.

In a news release issued Monday (May 13), the city says the bid it and Tk’emlups put forward was supported by the Kamloops Sports Council, secured a $80,000 Major Sport Event Hosting grant and a $22,200 BC Fairs Festivals and Events Fund grant from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.

“As Canada’s Tournament Capital, the City of Kamloops is excited to host this elite, under-18 Indigenous hockey competition,” Bill Sarai, Kamloops councillor and deputy mayor, says. “This tournament highlights our relationship with Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, whose unceded ancestral lands we occupy, alongside our dedicated community partners and volunteers. Welcoming Indigenous athletes, coaches and families from diverse communities, we aim to amplify Indigenous voices and the beauty of the local Secwépemc culture and the culture of every athlete at the games.”

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B.C. has hosted the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships twice — 2004 in Prince George and 2017 in the Cowichan Valley.

The 2024 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships event was held in Grand Prairie, Alberta and involved eight male and eight female U-18 hockey teams from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Team Atlantic and Team Eastern Door and the North demonstrating their passion and dedication to their sport.