IRTC Press Release
August 28, 2023

Ottawa, Ontario

The Interlake Reserves Tribal Council (IRTC) congratulates the Chiefs male Basketball team on their recent silver medal in the 2023 Masters Indigenous Games held in Ottawa over the weekend.

“Our board of directors congratulates the fine young men in their sport pursuits in basketball. It takes a lot of dedication and perseverance to play on the main stage of a gold medal game. As Chairman and Chief, I always prioritize our youth and their desires to participate in various sporting events. Our Tribal council receives numerous requests throughout the year for hockey, basketball, volleyball, and other initiatives. Great work Chiefs!” Says Chairman Cornell McLean

The IRTC sponsored Chiefs basketball finished round robin round 2-1 and faced another Manitoba based team the Warriors in the gold medal round.

“Having two Manitoba based teams square off in the final says a lot about the quality and competitiveness of basketball in Manitoba. I’m so proud of these fine young men winning silver, they’ve been practicing for 3 months to get here. They beat two tough teams to get to the gold medal round, and to see them lay it all on the court was inspiring. This Chiefs basketball team will be back in MIG 2026; and stronger as most of them are under 23 years old so that’s exciting. Myself being 42 years old and able to play with these young guys was not only fun but quite special.” states Karl Zadnik CEO for IRTC and team member of the Chiefs basketball team.

We want to thank all the chiefs of IRTC and Chairman McLean for his unwavering support and commitment to all sports in this province for his tribal members. Also want to thank coach Sherwin Vassallo for all his efforts from acceleration performance.

For Immediate enquiries please contact Karl Zadnik, via email karlzadnik@irtc.ca