2026 Manitoba Winter Games Day 1 Recap: Winnipeg Blue and South Lead Medal Standings - AI Generated Image
The 2026 Manitoba Winter Games kicked off in Thompson on Sunday, March 1, with competition now underway across alpine skiing, archery, curling, hockey, and ringette. Winnipeg Blue and South each collected two gold medals on the first day of games to share the lead in the medal standings, with 12 medals awarded in total to date.
On the slopes at Mystery Mountain, Aurora Dai (Winnipeg Blue) took gold in the Parallel Slalom U14 Female final, while Jake Griffith (South) claimed the U14 Male title. In the older divisions, Chloe Render (Winnipeg Blue) won the U16/18 Female event and Noah Griffith (South) topped the U16/18 Male field. Archery ranking rounds also got underway, with compound, recurve, and barebow divisions all shooting their opening rounds.
In team sports, curling pool play began in both the 4-Person U15 Female and Male divisions across two pools each. On the ice, U13 Male hockey saw a full slate of round robin games, with West and Winnipeg Blue emerging as early favourites. Ringette U14 Female round robin action also delivered competitive games, with Winnipeg Blue edging South 8–6 and East defeating Winnipeg Gold 7–6 in tight contests.
After Day 1 of the games, the medal standings show Winnipeg Blue and South tied with three total medals apiece, including two golds each. Winnipeg Gold sits third with two silvers and a bronze for three total, followed by West with two bronze medals. Competition continues soon across all sports. Full results and schedules are available at mbgames.ca.
A member of the Canadian Association of Journalists, Emma returned to core news journalism in early 2025 following a distinguished 15-year career as a content publisher and digital strategist. This background allows her to combine traditional journalistic integrity with a modern, data-driven approach to storytelling.
Emma holds a First-Class Honours degree in Business Studies from the University of Ulster and a postgraduate diploma in Accounting, providing her with a unique analytical lens when covering municipal politics, community development, and the social issues shaping Thompson, MB.
Contact her at emma@thethompsonnews.ca.
