--- title: What is Team Ontario? description: Team Ontario is the provincial team that attends major events like NAHC and NAIG. --- [Skip to content](https://help.iswo.ca/what-is-team-ontario#main-content) English - Canada Show submenu for translations iswo.ca Open main navigation Close main navigation - English - Canada Show submenu for translations - Contact us Contact us How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [ISWO Knowledgebase](https://help.iswo.ca/?hsLang=en-ca) 2. [Sports](https://help.iswo.ca/sports?hsLang=en-ca) October 23, 2026 # What is Team Ontario? ## Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario (ISWO) is the organization that selects, prepares and leads Team Ontario at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG). As Ontario's designated Provincial/Territorial Aboriginal Sport Body (P/TASB), ISWO will lead Team Ontario at NAIG 2028 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from July 9 to 23, 2028.    ### Who is ISWO? Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario (formerly the Aboriginal Sport and Wellness Council of Ontario) is a province-wide, Indigenous-led not-for-profit. It is recognized by the Aboriginal Sport Circle, the national body for Indigenous sport in Canada, and by the NAIG Council. ISWO serves all First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and communities across Ontario: on and off reserve, urban, rural, remote and fly-in, of all ages and abilities. **Our vision:** Active and healthy Indigenous peoples, families and communities in Ontario. **Our mission:** To enhance the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being of Indigenous peoples through physical activity, recreation and sport. ISWO is funded primarily by the Government of Ontario. It is not a political body, and it works with the NAIG Council on all matters related to Team Ontario's participation at the Games. ### What is Team Ontario? Team Ontario is the provincial team of First Nations, Inuit and Métis athletes, coaches and staff who represent Ontario at the North American Indigenous Games. ISWO oversees every part of the team, from tryouts and selection to travel, competition and the trip home. At NAIG 2028, Team Ontario will include about **400 athletes, 80 coaches and 20 mission staff**. Team Ontario is part of ISWO's **Team 88** program, named for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's **Call to Action #88**, which calls for long-term Indigenous athlete development and support for NAIG. Supporting Indigenous athletes on the road to NAIG is reconciliation through sport, in action. ### How Team Ontario is Structured Team Ontario is managed by **Mission Staff**: ISWO-appointed representatives and selected Sport Managers who oversee all team operations and logistics. - **Chef de Mission:** leads the full Team Ontario delegation at the Games - **Mission Staff & Sport Managers:** oversee operations, logistics and each sport program - **Head Coaches & Assistant Coaches:** lead athlete selection, training, development and supervision for their sport - **Managers:** support team logistics and operations for their sport - **ISWO staff:** coordinate with the NAIG Council, the 2028 Host Society and Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs) All coach and manager positions are **volunteer** roles. Learn more in [*Head Coach, Assistant Coach & Manager: What's the Difference?*](https://help.iswo.ca/head-coach-assistant-coach-manager-whats-the-difference?hsLang=en-ca) ### The Pathway to Team Ontario ISWO builds a full pathway from community sport to the NAIG stage: **Community camps → Provincial events → Team Ontario tryouts → NAIG** ISWO's provincial events help identify talent for Team Ontario, including: - Ontario Native Basketball Invitational (ONBI) - Ontario Native Volleyball Invitational (ONVI) - Ontario Native Lacrosse Invitational (ONLI) - Ontario Summer Indigenous Games (OSIG) - Ontario Arctic Sports & Traditional Games **Athletes:** NAIG is open to Indigenous youth ages 13 to 19. To be considered for Team Ontario, Indigenous youth living in Ontario must attend an ISWO-hosted tryout. Tryouts for NAIG 2028 begin in **early 2027**. Subscribe to our newsletter or follow ISWO on social media for tryout announcements. ### Team Ontario at NAIG 2023 At NAIG 2023 in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia, Team Ontario brought home **127 medals (55 gold, 37 silver and 35 bronze)** and placed **third in the overall medal standings**, competing through historic rainfall and flooding. > *"The NAIG is a life-changing experience for our youth, many of whom left their communities for the city for the first time. The NAIG showcased our youth and culture on a larger stage and provided a world of hope and new opportunity."* > Marc Laliberte, former President of ISWO (2023) ### Join Team Ontario for NAIG 2028 Team Ontario is heading to Winnipeg, and it takes a whole community to get there. ISWO is recruiting **volunteer Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches and Managers** for all NAIG sports. - **Apply now:** [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScO\_xBs1WLTdkYP7U7MAXjn0UfOcIk7NapA9LtABDd20y0jnw/viewform](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScO_xBs1WLTdkYP7U7MAXjn0UfOcIk7NapA9LtABDd20y0jnw/viewform) - **Coaches:** see [*Indigenous Coach & Officials Bursary*](https://help.iswo.ca/what-is-the-indigenous-coach-officials-bursary?hsLang=en-ca) - **Questions?** Email [Team.Ontario@iswo.ca](mailto:Team.Ontario@iswo.ca) - [FAQs](https://help.iswo.ca/faqs?hsLang=en-ca#main-content) - [Athletes](https://help.iswo.ca/faqs?hsLang=en-ca#athletes) - [General](https://help.iswo.ca/general?hsLang=en-ca) - [Sports](https://help.iswo.ca/sports?hsLang=en-ca#main-content) - [National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC)](https://help.iswo.ca/sports?hsLang=en-ca#national-aboriginal-hockey-championships-nahc) - [Coach Development](https://help.iswo.ca/sports?hsLang=en-ca#coach-development) - [North American Indigenous Games (NAIG)](https://help.iswo.ca/sports?hsLang=en-ca#north-american-indigenous-games-naig) - [Standing Bear](https://help.iswo.ca/standing-bear?hsLang=en-ca) - [Well Nation](https://help.iswo.ca/well-nation?hsLang=en-ca) - [Bridge](https://help.iswo.ca/bridge?hsLang=en-ca) - [Women & Girls](https://help.iswo.ca/women-girls?hsLang=en-ca) - [Funding](https://help.iswo.ca/funding?hsLang=en-ca) # iswo.ca [mailto:email@email.com](mailto:email@email.com) Copyright © 2026, iswo.ca