More than 40 years after Lake Placid last hosted a Winter Olympics, some New York lawmakers want to form a commission about bringing the games back to the North Country and potentially co-host it with another community.
The state Assembly on Wednesday approved a measure that would create a commission on hosting the games, a move that would come after the state has already spent millions of dollars for the Olympic Regional Development Authority to upgrade facilities to prepare for the 2023 World University Games.
“The Lake Placid region is ready to start the conversation on hosting the Winter Olympics again,” said Assemblyman Billy 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.”
The village hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. In recent years, discussions over a potential bid by Lake Placid has centered around whether to include a nearby community like Montreal to co-host the games.
The measure approved on Wednesday creating the commission is yet to pass in the state Senate.