The Saamis Tepee was backdrop to '88 Calgary Winter Olympics

By Brian Konrad

Olympic connection in Medicine Hat

Jul 22, 2021 | 11:19 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The games have already begun, but the glitz and glamour that make up the Opening Ceremonies for the Toyko Summer Olympics are still to come.

Canada has 370 athletes in Tokyo, but most won’t be taking part in tomorrow’s opening ceremony.

Only 30 to 40 Canadian athletes will march into the Olympic Stadium behind flag-bearers Miranda Ayim and Natham Hirayama.

Many people may be surprised to learn about a special Olympic connection here in Medicine Hat.

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The Saamis Tepee, towering 20 stories into the sky in southwest Medicine Hat, was the dream of local businessman Rick Filanti.

The dream was born following the completion of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Filanti saved the teepee from the scrap pile, where it had served as the backdrop for the Olympic flame at McMahon Stadium.

In early 1990, plans and drawings were completed, and work began on erecting the giant teepee in Medicine Hat.

Filanti pledged money and items from his personal art collection to see the project through to completion.

The teepee symbolizes Indigenous values of spirituality, the family and the circle of life.

The white is for purity, the red is for the rising and setting sun and blue is for the flowing waters

The teepee stands over an important archaeological site.

Discovered in 1970, the area was once a buffalo camp and meat-processing site, with over 83 million artifacts.

Designers wanted to make sure the structure was sound – it was built to withstand the extreme temperatures of this area – and to stand up against winds of almost 250 kilometres per hour.

Eventually, it’s hoped a permanent interpretative centre will complete the site.