Northern athletes are closer to invading the territory in 2012 after city council voted unanimously Monday night to submit the bid to host that year's Arctic Winter Games (AWG).

If it's accepted, it will mark the sixth time Whitehorse hosts the international northern sporting event.

AWG president Gerry Thick said this morning he's confident the bid will meet all the requirements of the international committee overseeing the multi-sport event, which happens every two years.

With the committee set to meet in Grande Prairie, Alta. (the site of the 2010 Games) within the next week, Thick said, the bid package will be looked at there, with some dates then to be set for the committee to meet in Whitehorse.

The committee typically travels to the community bidding on the Games and meets with officials there before approving it as a host community.

"Hopefully, we'll figure some dates soon," he said of meeting in Whitehorse.

If the bid, estimating the Games to cost $6.1 million, goes ahead, Thick expects Whitehorse will host a good set of Games, as it has in the past.

He expects few changes to the 2012 Games or the sports that are included: hockey, figure skating, speed skating, volleyball, basketball, Arctic sports, badminton, Dene games, table tennis, gymnastics, wrestling, curling, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, biathlon, snowshoe biathlon and dog mushing.

There will, however, be one major change officials who have been here for past AWG will notice.

"The facilities are better than before," Thick said.

Major upgrades were made to numerous facilities along with the construction of the Canada Games Centre being built to the standards for the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

"That's an improvement on other (Arctic Winter) Games," he said.

The Canada Games Centre is proposed as the major site for many sports, including hockey, figure skating, speed skating, soccer and volleyball.

Grey Mountain, Mount Sima and the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre will also host multiple sports with biathlon and snowshoe biathlon at Grey Mountain, Sima hosting alpine and freestyle skiing and snowboarding, while Mount McIntyre would play host to curling and cross-country skiing.

The Games propose to make major use of schools in the city with events happening at Porter Creek, F.H. Collins and Vanier Catholic secondary schools, Christ the King and Selkirk elementary schools as well as Yukon College.

Takhini Arena, the Polarettes Gymnastics Club (at Vanier), Fish Lake Road and the city's Riverfront and Millennium Trails round out the list of sites for events during the Games.

Last night's vote by council to go ahead with the bid was unanimous, with Coun. Jan Stick voting by conference call.

The approval came after earlier controversy when Coun. Doug Graham suggested the city couldn't afford to host the week-long event and the territory should take on the role instead.

Under the current rules around the Games though, a municipality must act as host.

At last week's meeting, Graham said he would support the bid for the city to host the Games since they were going ahead anyway.

"I just think I'll get behind it and do everything I can to make sure it's the best and that it stays within the budget," he said.

This morning, Thick, a former city councillor himself, said he is happy with Graham's vote to go ahead with the Games.

He added Graham has always been supportive of the Games themselves, but it was a political issue causing the earlier controversy.

"I'm really pleased Doug is supporting the Games," he said.

The AWG were last held in Whitehorse in 2000.