K O Productions

In 1970, Tundra Times, the only statewide Native newspaper in Alaska, by mutual agreement with the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce, took over sponsorship of the growing event. It was viewed by the Tundra Times Board of Directors as a potential fund raiser to assist the newspaper in its mission, defined by the late Howard Rock, founder and editor, to aid the Alaska Native movement toward better solutions to the problems they confronted for decades. In 1973, the Board of Directors of Tundra Times passed a resolution changing the name of the World Eskimo Olympics to World Eskimo-Indian Olympics to more accurately reflect the ethnicity of the participants. The logo for the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics is six interwoven rings representing the six major tribes in Alaska - Aleut, Athabascan, Inupiaq, Yup'ik, Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimpsian. Each year record-breaking crowds, record-breaking performances by the athletes, an increasing number of competitors, and larger numbers of villages sending dance groups and athletes to the Games proved to be a challenge to the sponsoring organization. In 1976, an independent, non-profit corporation was formed for the sole purpose of a planning, preparing, and staging the annual event. World Eskimo-Indian Olympics, Inc is a 501- ( c ) ( 3 ) organization run by a dedicated group of supporters and volunteers.