New York studies Lake Placid-New York City Winter Olympics bid
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said a committee will assess a possible split Winter Games bid involving Lake Placid and New York City.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
New York state is setting up a committee to study whether Lake Placid and New York City should pursue a shared Winter Olympics bid, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said Monday. The move matters because the international calendar makes 2042 the earliest likely opening for such a bid, according to the Associated Press.
Hochul’s office described the effort as exploratory, the AP reported, meaning New York has not entered an official bid process. The committee is expected to spend about a year reviewing the idea.
“The time is now to return the Olympic flame back to New York,” Hochul said, according to the AP.
A possible split Games
The concept outlined by Hochul’s office would divide hosting duties between Lake Placid and New York City, according to the AP. The AP said that would follow the kind of multi-site approach used by Milan and Cortina for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The AP reported that no target year was listed in the governor’s announcement. The 2030 Winter Olympics are set for the French Alps, the 2034 Games have been awarded to Salt Lake City, and Switzerland has been identified as the preferred bidder for 2038, according to the AP.
Those decisions leave 2042 as the first likely Winter Games that New York could seek, the AP reported.
Lake Placid’s Olympic history
Lake Placid has hosted the Winter Olympics twice, in 1932 and 1980, according to the AP. The 1980 Games are remembered for the U.S. men’s hockey team’s win over the Soviet Union, known as the “Miracle on Ice,” the AP noted.
Lake Placid also was considered as an emergency backup site for sliding events at the 2026 Olympics when construction delays affected the Cortina venue, according to the AP. That episode helped underline the value of existing winter sports infrastructure, though New York officials have not filed a formal bid, the AP reported.
The exploratory committee will be chaired by Ashley Walden, president and CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, according to the AP. Assemblyman Robert Carroll is also on the committee, the AP reported.
Carroll attended the Games in Italy in February and has said the Milan-Cortina arrangement could be a model for New York, according to the AP.
Climate and timing
A recent climate change study cited by the AP found that Lake Placid is among the limited number of past Winter Olympics hosts expected to have weather reliable enough to stage the Games by 2050. That finding could be relevant as future Winter Games organizers weigh snow conditions and venue choices, according to the AP’s reporting on the study.
For now, the state’s review is an early step. Hochul’s office has framed the committee as a way to assess whether a New York bid built around Lake Placid and New York City is practical before the state considers any formal Olympic campaign, according to the AP.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.