Colorado tribes sponsoring 2006 Indigenous Games in Denver

Colorado's Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes are sponsoring an Olympics-style competition expected to bring 8,000 athletes from tribes across the United States and Canada to the Denver area in July.

The eight-day North American Indigenous Games will start with July 2 opening ceremonies at Invesco Field at Mile High, with associated cultural events at the nearby Denver Performing Arts Complex through the week, said Ute Mountain Ute member Bob Roybal, who leads the team bringing the games to Colorado.

The Ute tribes are paying $1.2 million to sponsor the games after the North American Indigenous Games council took the 2005 games away from Buffalo, N.Y., because the local committee fell behind schedule, Roybal said. The games alternate between Canada and the United States.

"There is a lot of pressure for it to happen in the United States and for it to happen now," he said.



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We were there on a family visit and stayed in the same hotel as many of the officials and other family groups. It was a very interesting experience, especially overhearing the conversations in the elevators. Several of the Canadian groups talked about how the whole town had come for the games. In addition to athletic competitions there were a number of pow wows and other activites. I had to be careful not to stare at some of the turquoise jewelry some of the attendees from the southwest were wearing as it was georgeous. We had stayed at that hotel on other trips when it was filled with youth soccer or baseball tournament attendees and at those times there were some problems associated with the unsupervised youth. The indigenous games groups were great because they were all family groups and you just did not see the misbehaving kids. All in all this was a very positive experience and one I would repeat.