After many years of planning and preparation, Team Yukon is Greenland-bound on the eve of the 2016 Arctic Winter Games.

The biennial multi-sport tournament will take place in Nuuk, and Iqaluit from March 6 to 11.

In total, 242 Yukon athletes will attend the celebration of northern sport and culture.

Of the 19 teams representing the territory, the largest contingent is futsal, with 45 athletes participating. Futsal replaces indoor soccer.

Athletes from across the circumpolar north will battle for ulus – small medals shaped in the form of an Arctic knife.

At the 2014 tournament in Fairbanks, Yukon finished fifth in ulu standings with 85 total ulus.

Alaska finished first with 202.

The upcoming Arctic Winter Games in Greenland were met with a measure of controversy as six staple winter sports were slashed from the schedule due to lack of infrastructure.

Midget hockey, curling, figure skating, speedskating, gymnastics and dog mushing will not be part of the 2016 event.

Charter flights out of Whitehorse later today will face weather, it was announced last night at a pep rally held at the Yukon Arts Centre.

Some flights are expected to be delayed in Kangerlussuaq, a settlement north of Nuuk.

The hockey teams – originally slated to attend the opening ceremonies in Greenland – will now fly directly to Iqaluit, where their competition is being held. They will be able to attend the closing ceremonies, however.

The pep rally featured an excellent video introducing members of the team, as well as a performance by Yukon’s cultural contingent.

Athletes were urged to “be leaders,” via a video message relayed by chef de mission Trevor Twardochleb, who is already on the ground in Nuuk.

“You have earned the right to be here, so I now ask you to be proud and respectful ambassadors of our territory,” he said. “Yukoners are some of the greatest ambassadors this country has to offer – so let’s prove it.”

Yukon’s tourism minister Elaine Taylor also spoke to athletes, as did former Olympic weightlifter Jeane Lassen – a potential candidate for the Yukon Liberal Party – and recent Mr. and Mrs. Yukon at Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous – Sam and Kelly Johnston.

Taylor called the event the Olympics of the North, while Lassen told athletes to soak up the moment.

The full Team Yukon roster bound for Greenland is as follows:

ALPINE SKIING

Anna Potvin, Felicity Vangel, Katelyn Vowk, Charlie Hawes, Shane Orban, Manas Toews, Mollie Fraser, Greta Gladwin, Rosa Martens-de Repentigny, Liam Diamond, Wesley Vangel, Noah Wright. Coaches: Abby Hawes, Yves Titley.

ARCTIC SPORTS

Anisa Albisser, Bianca Berko-Malvasio, Emily King, Fayne O’Donovan, Robyn Poulter, Payton Fobe, Nolan Matthews, Lou Samson, Caitlyn Venasse, Joshua Carr, Matt Jacobson, Allen Mark, Kuduat Shorty. Coaches: Colin Hickman, Tara Wardle.

BADMINTON

Prism Saswirsky, Nora Vincent-Braun, Marek Boulerice, Lukas Kobler, Abby Cuenza, KC Mooney, Michael Betts, Carl Knickle. Coaches: Abbie Rotondi, Peter Toth.

JR. FEMALE BASKETBALL

Jetta Bilsky, Landyn Blisner, Kennedy Cairns-Locke, Sheridan Curteanu, Alysha Gullison, Emily Johnson, Dylan Massie, Jennifer Mendelsohn, Dannica Nelson, Sigourny Whipple-Grantham. Coach: Nicole Schroeder.

JR. MALE BASKETBALL

Alex Bouvier, Nylan Duncan, Zachary Giczi, Darcy LaRochelle, David Mindanao, Chris Nerysoo, Ian New, Cassel Scholz, RJ Siosan, Josh Tobias. Coach: Mark Hureau.

SKI BIATHLON

Micah Hildes, Maria Peters, Liam Adel, Daniel Sennett, Bronwyn Goodwin, Dana Sellars, Romeo Champagne, Aidan Hupé. Coaches: Laurie Jacobsen, Ted Hupé.

SNOWSHOE BIATHLON

Marika Kitchen, Hanna Korn, Francis Reid, Bruce Wilson, Amélie Latour, Veronica Porter, Aidan Adel, Isidore Champagne. Coaches: Dave Hildes, Anna Jacobsen.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

Hannah Deuling, Alexis Gee, Natalie Hynes, Mira Mason, Simon Cash, Michael Kishchuk, Pelly Vincent-Braun, Sofia Bond, Regan Fuerstner, Dagmar Janzen, Hannah Jirousek, Liam Mather, Jamie Phillips-Freedman, Nichollis Schmidt, Jude Slater, Dahlia Lapointe, Kate Mason, Sonjaa Schmidt, Alliya Thomson, Derek Deuling, Sasha Masson, Ben Puskas, Victor Thibeault. Coaches: Amanda Deuling, Jan Downing, Alain Masson.

CULTURAL

Colton Blackjack, Ona Cardona, Sarah Ott, Karyin Qiu, Marlon Scarff, Grace Simpson-Fowler. Manager: Andrea Simpson-Fowler.

DENE GAMES

Ashton Clooten, Jessa Klugie, Maureen McGinty, Sarina Primozic, Jedrek Dendys, Thaeron Green, Kadin Hare, Tony Tessaro, Azrielle Allen, Kassua Dreyer, Kitana Sterriah, Tugugin Swan, Matthew Brown, Ryan Long, Tyler O’Brien, Terrence O’Brien. Coaches: Maddy Allen, Doronn Fox.

JR. FEMALE FUTSAL

Maggie Fekete, Reena Coyne, Jewel Davies, Georgia Gaw, Lara Herry-Saint Onge, Tyra Jones, Sarah Nyland, Bryn Peterson, Charlotte Van Randen. Coach: Ashley Beggs.

JR. MALE FUTSAL

Cody Amaral, Ewan Campbell, Seth Carey, Ewan Halliday, Matthias Hoenisch, Simon Kishchuk, Felix Maltais, Tyler Milton, Dawson Weir. Coach: Edgar Musonda.

JUVENILE FEMALE FUTSAL

Cassidy Cairns, Taliya Lindley, Leah Ott, Abby Rich, Alyssa Rusnak, Jasmine Sealy, Peyton Twardochleb, Amy Vanderkley, Kamryn Williamson. Coach: Trudy Pike.

JUVENILE MALE FUTSAL

Ashton Bryant, Rhys Faragher, Joseph Hanson, Bennett Kishchuk, Andreas Lavanderos, Kaelen Lewis, Andrew Roberts, Jason Sealy, Callum Weir. Coach: Victor Lavanderos.

INTERMEDIATE FEMALE FUTSAL

Thea Carey, Malorie Hanson, Line Jensen, Jamie Joe-Hudson, Isabel Magsucang, Jamie McLeish, Christine Moser, Mikaela Ponsioen, Alizee Salesse. Coach: Sarah Hanson.

JUNIOR FEMALE HOCKEY

Mikaila Blanchard, Shania Hogan, Sophie Janke, Monica Johnson, Zoe Leas, Haley McConnell, Samantha McLeod, Emma Morin, Joy Morin, Maddie Nicholson, Ali Nordahl, Hannah Nordlund, Isabelle Oestreich, Cayman Oestreich, Chyanne Spenner, Destiny Taylor, Abbie Turner. Coaches: Louis Bouchard, Jessica Pumphrey, Sarah Todd.

BANTAM HOCKEY

Cameron Bushell, Joseph Coyne, Broden Cull, Jakob Ekholm, Hunter Fitzsimmons, Jesse Goodman, Adam Hennings, Jarod McCulloch, Cole McCulloch, Logan McKay, Torsten Nordlund, Brandon Petelski, Kenneth Pickett, Austin Shaw, Wyatt Sheardown-Waugh, Mathew Tremblay, Colton Webb. Coaches: A.J. Beacon, Tim Ekholm.

SNOWBOARDING

Rachael MacIntosh, Ethan Davy, Tim Schirmer, Riley Boland, Asher Brault, Sammy Mather. Coaches: Mary Binsted, Gabriel Rivest.

SNOWSHOEING

Kate Londero, Maggie Brook, Brahm Hyde, Joe Parker, Maya Cairns-Locke, Breda McIntyre, Jack Amos, Naoise Dempsey. Coaches: Chris Kirk, Don White.

TABLE TENNIS

Kate Crocker, Sam Crocker, Emily Gaw, Ethan Gaw, Ashley Harris, Grace-Anne Janssen, Arcel Siosan, Zach Zimmerman. Coaches: Kevin Murphy, Carmen DuBois.

JR. FEMALE VOLLEYBALL

Avery Bramadat, Jayden Demchuk, Alice Frost, Mia Greenough, Tayla McNally, Hannah Milner, Kendra Peters, Tasha-Lee Schwantz, Meaghan Stirton, Jiela Tobias. Coach: Heather Julsrud.

JR. MALE VOLLEYBALL

Zack Bartholomeus, Peter Jacob, Anshil Kumar, Daniel Moses, Parker Olson, Adrian Robinson, Jordan Runions, Morgan Schmidt, Robert Smallwood, Luka van Randen. Coach: D’Arcy Hill.

WRESTLING

Hannah King, Kestrel Martin, Emiko Teramura, Jacob Melanson, Shayne Melanson, Jarrett Peterson. Coaches: Rob Langmaid, Vanessa Stitt.

MISSION STAFF

Lisa-Marie Vowk, Chris Milner, Mark Ritchie, Tracey Bilsky, Margie Peters, Paolo Gallina, Nathalie Dugas, Marie Cairns, Ken Howard, Sarah Lewis, Shelley Gellatley, Irwin Gaw, Jane Londero, Trevor Twardochleb.