Since 1970, the Arctic Winter Games (AWG) have brought together young people from the circumpolar world. A meeting of sport and culture, they promote sharing and exchange among young people, as well as Aboriginal cultural and sports practices (Dene Games, Arctic sports). They intend to participate in building an Arctic community. This article proposes a reflection on this event and shows that this type of encounter, beyond its sporting aspect, can be a lever of social, cultural and educational development for a territory. Therefore, this text consists of a question of the contemporary sports movement. Questioning the public value of AWG, it discusses the paradigm on which international sporting events are built today.