A potential Yukon Liberal Party candidate has reported a kerfuffle in the way the Yukon Party has dealt with her political intentions.

Jeane Lassen announced her intent to run in the upcoming election with the Liberals recently – but she didn’t expect the push-back that resulted.

Team Yukon will host a pep rally tomorrow evening for athletes heading off to Nuuk, Greenland, for the 2016 Arctic Winter Games.

Lassen, a high-profile former athlete, was on the list of speakers to motivate the athletes at the pep rally.

She was the first Yukon woman to participate in a Summer Olympics, when she went to Beijing in 2008 for weightlifting.

The day she announced her political plans, Lassen was notified by a volunteer that it was “no longer appropriate” for her to speak at the pep rally.

“I understood, of course, that it wasn’t her decision,” Lassen told the Star in an interview this morning.

So, she sought out an answer.

After being juggled around, Lassen finally spoke with Community Services Minister Currie Dixon.

“After chatting with him, the next day I was put back on the list,” she said.

About a week away from the rally, Lassen was told she was no longer on the list for the second time.

“I said, ‘OK, I’ll attend and cheer for the athletes,’” she said, adding that she didn’t seek out an explanation this time.

But Lassen also told her story to CBC North, which broke the story Tuesday.

By 9 p.m., Premier Darrell Pasloski had tweeted that he was personally inviting Lassen to help “pump up” the athletes at the rally.

“Of course, I’m proud to speak to Team Yukon,” Lassen said, adding that the Arctic Winter Games could be the highlight of some athletes’ careers thus far.

But being involved in the rally doesn’t wash away the bitterness of being juggled on and off the list.

“I’m disappointed in the decision in the first place, but it’s their decision,” she said.

“The benefit of sports is community engagement, and seeking a nomination for a political party is just that –being engaged.”

Yukon Liberal Leader Sandy Silver echoed this sentiment.

“We always see political interference. The focus should be on the athletes this week,” Silver said this morning.

At the Liberal Party’s annual general meeting, Silver chastised the Yukon Party for “keeping lists” of people who disagree with the governing party’s decisions.

“Here’s another example of that,” Silver added.

“It’s very interesting that this came from the premier’s office ... What’s the protocol on this?

“Why does his office decide whether a Yukon Olympian gets to speak at a pep rally or not?”

Several calls to the Yukon government cabinet office this morning seeking an explanation went unanswered before the Star’s afternoon press deadline.