Lake Placid-New York bid to host 2042 Winter Olympics moves step closer to reality
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A joint Olympic bid between Lake Placid and New York City for 2042 advanced on Monday, as an exploratory committee held its inaugural meeting in Manhattan, marking the five boroughs’ pursuit of their first Winter Games.
The five boroughs’ latest Olympic push is supported by a strong selection of arenas, while Lake Placid offers historical credentials having previously hosted the Winter Games in 1932 and 1980.
Even with 16 years remaining, committee members are already seeking to pinpoint potential challenges, particularly after the IOC revised its bidding regulations this year under new President Kirsty Coventry.
“Transportation particularly will be one of the biggest challenges. The Milano Cortina model has shown though that they were able to work through those. They didn’t have high-speed rail connecting the two, but they were able to successfully deliver the games despite that,” Olympic Regional Development Authority Chair Ashley Walden told Reuters.
“So it’s something that certainly will be looked at and particularly I think is going to be identified as a legacy item because it is a need for the long term.”
The 2026 Milano Cortina Games are regarded as a successful template for a spread-out Olympics, featuring venues distributed across northern Italy.
There is currently no high-speed rail linking New York City to Lake Placid, a picturesque ski town in the Adirondacks that would become the first location to host three times should the bid succeed. Residential accommodation in New York state’s “North Country” also poses a potential hurdle, given that the 1980 Olympic village was later converted into a medium-security prison.
“This is going to be a generational opportunity,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul told committee members.
“The planning now, the talk, the buzz, the excitement, the people saying, well, we’re probably going to need some more hotels and restaurants and housing. And I’m going to be focused on this to just inject new energy into the North Country.”
The exploratory committee includes figures such as Laura Pegula, whose family owns the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, along with New York State Assembly member Robert Carroll.
Lingering disappointment remains for some from New York City’s failed bid for the 2012 Summer Games, when an unsuccessful attempt to construct a West Side Stadium damaged an otherwise strong proposal. London ultimately won the 2012 hosting rights.
Recent experience hosting the World Cup has helped soften those memories, after New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium hosted the final and the New York New Jersey Committee hosted millions of visiting fans with few disruptions.
A winning bid would position Lake Placid-New York City as the third American host site for the Games within 14 years, following LA28 and Salt Lake City in 2034.
Two-time Olympic Super-G medalist Andrew Weibrecht, who serves as co-chair of the Games Operations Subcommittee, told Reuters the project could inspire a fresh generation of American winter athletes.
“When you take the traditional venue (in Lake Placid) and pair it with a large city, I think that’s a great recipe for games,” Weibrecht told Reuters.
