The State Assembly yesterday passed legislation (A9864b/S9319) sponsored by Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) that would create a commission on hosting the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid with another state municipality. After millions of dollars of state investment in the Olympic Region Development Authority (ORDA) to upgrade their facilities to be state-of-the-art in preparation for the 2023 World University Games, New York is poised to host future Winter Olympic games like the 1932 and 1980 ones in Lake Placid.

“The Lake Placid region is ready to start the conversation on hosting the Winter Olympics again,” said Jones. “Hosting the games would be great for our regional economy and would introduce a new generation to the iconic ORDA facilities. Considering the 2023 World University Games will have twice as many competitions as the 1980 Olympics, ORDA’s facilities are more than equipped to host the Winter Olympics.”

Previous concerns of Lake Placid being too small to host a future Olympics should no longer be an issue since the International Olympic Committee now allows for multiple cities or regions to host an Olympic Games. Last Winter’s Beijing Olympics encompassed multiple regions and the 2026 Winter Olympics will be jointly hosted by the city of Milan and the mountain town of Cortina. This means it is the perfect time for Lake Placid to join with another city, like New York, to bid to host a future Winter Olympic Games.

“With ORDA facilities ready to host Olympic competitions, including high cost facilities like a ski jump and a bobsled track, it is the perfect time to contemplate partnering Lake Placid with New York City where there are world class arenas like Madison Square Garden, the Barclays Center and the UBS Arena which are ready to host events such as hockey, figure skating, speed skating and curling,” said Assemblymember Robert Carroll (D – Brooklyn, NY) “With so many world class facilities already built in both regions, a future bid for the Winter Olympics by Lake Placid and New York could be the greenest and most cost effectivein recent memory.”