Catriona Le May Doan on Culture and Competition

The Spirit of the North: Catriona Le May Doan on Culture, Competition, and the Magic of the Arctic Winter Games

By Larissa Winslade

Standing amidst the buzz of the Canada Games Centre, Olympic legend Catriona Le May Doan looks right at home. Though she is decorated with gold, her focus today isn’t on the podium, but on the unique heartbeat of the 2026 Arctic Winter Games. I had the chance to sit down with Catriona to chat about why these Games hit differently than any other competition in the world.

Journey to the High Arctic

Before arriving in Whitehorse, Le May Doan visited Nunavut. It was a trip that included the classic "Northern experience"—flight delays that kept her off the ice—but it also offered her the opportunity to visit local schools. When meeting with youth, including participants from Team Nunavut, Le May Doan didn't just talk about medals. She offered a candid look at the pressures of elite sport, even admitting she found the Olympic cafeterias overwhelming at first. Her message to the students was grounded: it is okay to feel the weight of the moment.

“I told them it’s okay to feel overwhelmed,” she says. As she passed her medals around for the youth to hold, her message was clear: It’s about so much more than just the medal. 

A Return to the Wilderness City

The journey from Nunavut to Whitehorse provided its own moment of reflection. She travelled on the Team Nunavut charter, a direct flight from Iqaluit to Whitehorse, an experience she described as profoundly moving as she watched the uninterrupted scale of the North unfold below.

While Le May Doan has graced the world’s most elite stages, she admits the Arctic Winter Games offer something truly singular. She is particularly in awe of the snowshoe biathlon.

“This sport doesn’t exist anywhere else,” she notes enthusiastically. “Watching it was incredible. You even see kids still learning to tie traditional snowshoes and mukluks.” She pointed out that while the Canada Games includes a cultural component, the Arctic Winter Games integrates it seamlessly into the fabric of the competition.

Seeing the "amazing" new biathlon building here in Whitehorse clearly sparked something in her. When I asked if she’d come back to the Yukon, her answer was instant: "In a heartbeat."

It was a powerful reminder that whether you're an Olympic legend or a kid tying your first pair of mukluks, the spirit of the North has a way of staying with you.

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Photo: Nunavut Speed Skating Association