Saskatchewan Indigenous sports builder Tony Cote recently passed away at the age of 84.

Cote founded the First Nations Summer Games in the mid-1970s and the event now bears his name.

 He is also credited with establishing one of the first indoor hockey rinks on a Saskatchewan First Nation and starting the first all-Indigenous Junior B hockey team in the province.

 Cote was a recipient of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and a member of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

 He also served as chief of the Cote First Nation in the early 1970s and was a Korean War veteran.

 At a press conference, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron took a few minutes out to reflect on Cote’s influence and impact.