Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, involves sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing (cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping).

Formerly known as synchronized swimming, artistic swimming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance, and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music.

Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are “singles” and “doubles”.

This is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race where the contestant with the shortest total time wins. Depending on the competition, missed shots result in extra distance or time being added to the contestant’s total.

5-Pin bowling is a bowling variant of the 10-Pin bowling game, played almost exclusively in Canada. Across Ontario, many bowling centers offer only 5-Pin bowling or a combination of both 5 and 10-Pin bowling.

In 1909, the uniquely Canadian game of 5-Pin bowling was invented by Thomas F. Ryan in Toronto, Ontario, at his Toronto Bowling Club, in response to customer complaints that the 10-Pin game was too strenuous, time consuming and the balls were too heavy. He devised a new game with a smaller ball, only five pins and a new scoring system, by cutting five 10-pins down to about 75% of their size, added a rubber ring around the pin and used hand-sized hard rubber balls.

Today 5-Pin bowling remains a uniquely Canadian game played across the country.

Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice towards a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules and shuffleboard.

Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice towards a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules and shuffleboard.

Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, involves sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing (cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping).

Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre; winning points are made through the weapon’s contact with an opponent.

Futsal is a variant of soccer played on a hard court, smaller than a soccer pitch, and mainly indoors. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is the goalkeeper. Futsal is also played with a smaller, harder, low-bounce ball. The surface, ball and rules together favour ball control and passing in small spaces. The game’s “emphasis is on improvisation, creativity and technique.

Judo was originally created in 1882 by Jigoro Kano as a physical, mental, and moral pedagogy in Japan. It is generally categorized as a modern martial art, which later evolved into a combat and Olympic sport.

Karate is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts under the influence of Kung Fu, particularly Fujian White Crane. Karate is now predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open-hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands and palm-heel strikes. Historically, and in some modern styles, grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints and vital-point strikes are also taught.

Martial arts has been practiced throughout history. As civilizations interacted, different martial arts evolved. Competitions grew in each style and discipline. Kickboxing is now the most popular combative sport globally. There are two groupings of the sport of kickboxing – disciplines that compete in the ring, and those that compete on a tatami mat.

The ring disciplines are called full contact (FC); low kick (LK); and K1 rules (K1). Each discipline has different scoring areas but each bout is contested over 3 rounds of 2 minutes. The tatami disciplines are called point sparring (PF); kicklight (KL); light contact (LC); and forms and weapons, which are routines choreographed to music. The tatami sparring divisions are similar to martial arts sports in which contact levels are considered “light touch” in which the priority is scoring points with control.
At the Ontario Winter Games there will be competitions in both the ring and the tatami mat. Top junior athletes from across Ontario will compete in each of the kickboxing disciplines, making the kickboxing component of the 2020 OWG exciting for all to see.

Hockey is a sport in which two teams play against each other by trying to manoeuvre a ball or a puck into the opponent’s goal using a hockey stick.

Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, involves sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing (cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping).

Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, involves sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing (cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping).

Ringette is a team-oriented sport played on ice with skates and sticks with six players (5 skaters and 1 goalie) per team on the ice surface at once. The objective is to score goals by shooting a ring into the opposing team’s net at either end of the rink during stop-time periods of play. Ringette players use a straight stick and a rubber rink.

The emphasis of the game is on play-making and skating skills. Players cannot carry the ring across the blue lines on the ice. Only three players from each team, plus the defending goalie, are allowed in the end zones at the same time, which keeps the play open, puts a premium on sharp offensive moves, and requires defending players to skate close to their opponents. These features of the game demand the development of keen skating skills that give ringette players fantastic skating speed and agility. Ringette is a wide-open and dynamic sport and often referred to as the fastest team sport on ice!

Sledge hockey is an adaptation of ice hockey designed for players who have a physical disability. Invented in the early 1960’s at a rehabilitation centre in Stockholm, Sweden, and played under similar rules to standard ice hockey, players are seated on sleds and use special hockey sticks with metal “teeth” on the tips of their handles to navigate the ice.

Speed skating is the fastest type of human-propelled racing on ice! In Short Track Speed Skating, the competitors race each other on a 111m track that is set on an Olympic-sized (30x60m) rink. Common distances in Short Track Speed Skating include the 500m, 1000m and 1500m. The 500m is considered the sprint in short track speed skating. It is 4.5 laps of the track and takes under 1 minute to complete, with most skaters racing between 45 and 55 seconds. In addition to these common distances, the Ontario Winter Games will also feature a 3000m Points Race in which the skaters race for points at 4 intervals over the course of the 27 lap race. This is a strategic race, and the winner is the skater who accumulates the most points during the 27 laps.

Perhaps the most popular event is Short Track Speed Skating is the Relay. Relay teams are made up of 4 skaters who push each other, typically in 1-2 lap intervals, to maintain their speed and complete the race. At the 2020 Ontario Winter Games, the speed skaters will trial a new event: the Mixed Gender Relay, which will be an event at the 2022 Olympic Games! Each team will be made up of 2 females and 2 males who must work together to finish the race. Each skater must skate 4.5 laps (500m) in intervals of 2 or 2.5 lap exchanges.

Be sure to come to the Allendale Recreation Centre in Barrie on Friday February 28th and Saturday February 29th to see the Short Track Speed Skaters in action!

Squash is a ball sport played by two (singles) or four players (doubles squash) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. The players alternate in striking the ball with their racquets onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court.

Weightlifting is an athletic discipline in which the athlete attempts a maximum-weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates.

For Wrestling, the Ontario Winter Games are the Provincial Championships for boys and girls age 15 and 16 years (Cadets). These young wrestlers have qualified for the Games either through Regional Championships or the Ontario Cadet Open held prior to the Games.

During a match, wrestlers gain two points for the “takedown” where they take their opponent from standing to the mat. A “reversal” is just that, the bottom wrestler reverses his/her position and ends up on top while on the mat and in control, scoring one point. Wrestlers score two points for placing his/her opponent on their back. Wrestlers can score four points by taking their opponent directly from standing to their back (in a throw, for example). The ultimate objective is to “pin” your opponent by placing them on the mat on their back with both shoulders touching the mat. A pin ends the match immediately. Wrestling matches consist of two-two minute rounds, with the score carrying over from round one into round two and the wrestler scoring the most points overall winning. The rules prohibit any techniques intended to injure the opponent, particularly at this youth level. Regions score points based upon wrestlers placing in the top six at the Games. There is a Regional title for each of the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions.

Many of the top placers from the Games will go on to compete in the Canadian U-17 and U-19 Championships taking place April 3 – 5 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Wushu is a form of contemporary Chinese martial arts that blends elements of performance and martial application. Wushu training emphasizes quickness, explosive power, and natural, relaxed movement. The wushu practitioner must combine flexibility with strength, speed with flawless technique, and fierce intent with effortless execution.