Team Yukon is beginning to take shape ahead of the 2016 Arctic Winter Games.

According to chef de mission Trevor Twardochleb, about 75 per cent of the territory’s roster has been named ahead of the multi-sport tournament, set to occur in Nuuk, Greenland, March 6 to 11.

The final roster of approximately 300 athletes and mission staff will be announced early next month.

Last weekend, trials were held in the disciplines of alpine skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing.

Some sports have selected training squads prior to the submission of final rosters.

The Greenland games will not include six staple winter sports due to lack of infrastructure. Cut from the schedule are midget hockey, curling, figure skating, speedskating, gymnastics and dog mushing.

Still, Twardochleb said he expects Yukon’s final roster to include 300-plus athletes and mission staff – similar to the team that competed in Alaska two years ago.

“We’ve probably got 150 more kids trying out in sports trying to make team rosters for Greenland,” he said of the unique opportunity for athletes to visit Nuuk. “One of our goals was to reach out to the communities more.”

The last Arctic Winter Games was held in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2014.

Yukon finished fifth in the medal standings with 85 ulus won. Host Alaska was first with 202 ulus.

The Arctic Winter Games were the idea of Yukon commissioner James Smith and Northwest Territories commissioner Steward Hodgson in 1967, after watching northern athletes struggle at the Canada Winter Games.

The first Arctic Winter Games took place in Yellowknife in 1970.

The Yukon government continues to view the event as a “foundational stepping stone” for northern athletes.

“The Arctic Winter Games is a developmental games,” said Twardochleb. “And it’s a way of reaching out to the communities.”

The majority of the roster will be made up of juvenile and junior athletes.