LAKE PLACID — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Friday she believes there’s a real chance for another Winter Olympics in Lake Placid by using a multicity approach.
Gillibrand said she got the idea when she attended the Winter Olympics this year in Milan, Italy, which had events spread over several cities.
“I literally came back and called the governor (Kathy Hochul),” Gillibrand said. “It could be an upstate-downstate effort.”
Hochul is about to appoint an exploratory committee for an Olympic bid, Gillibrand said.
“To have something like that come to fruition is going to take multiple sites,” she said.
Standing on the third floor of the Mount Van Hoevenberg Sports Complex, Gillibrand said Lake Placid Olympic facilities are an incredible asset.
“So much history has happened right here,” she said. “From the 1932 Olympics to the Miracle on Ice (at the 1980 Games). It was the greatest athletic experience anyone has ever seen. There was so much pride.”
During the 1980 Games, the U.S. men’s hockey team defeated the highly-ranked Russian team to advance to and win the finals against Finland.
Gilliland said the Olympic sports facilities around Lake Placid have been maintained and improved ever since the games and are state of the art.
“Athletes from around the world come here to train,” the senator said. “I hope New York state can host the Olympic Games sometime soon. I can’t think of a better place to host another Winter Olympics.”
Ashley Walden, president and CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which manages the sports facilities, said the sites have been modernized and include some trails and other features that are open to all.
In 2023, a $104 million renovation and expansion of the Lake Placid Olympic facilities, including skiing, skating and luge, was completed with funding from New York state.
“New York state has transformed ORDA into modern, year-round facilities,” Walden said. “People can recreate alongside Olympic athletes.”
One thing that would help is having a high-speed passenger rail line from New York City to Albany, she said.
“Experts in the state are putting together actual proposals,” she said. ”It is possible. The stakeholders are interested.”
That would greatly enhance their application for the Winter Games, she said.
“To have a successful bid, we check every box. We’ll put in place all the pieces. All decisions will be made with consent of local communities.”
They might start the work now, but the finish in 16 years, or 2042, “is all next generation,” Gillibrand said.