By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Oct 19 (Reuters) – A joint Lake Placid-New York City Olympic bid for 2042 moved one step closer to reality on Monday, as members of an exploratory committee met for the first time in Manhattan with the five boroughs aiming for their first-ever Winter Games.
An enviable array of arenas bolsters the five boroughs’ latest campaign for the Games while Lake Placid boasts Olympic pedigree after hosting in 1932 and 1980.
But even 16 years out, committee members are working to identify any potential obstacles that could stand in their way, after the IOC overhauled bidding rules 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 have been held up as an example of a successful dispersed Olympics, with events spread out across northern Italy.
No high-speed rail connects New York City with Lake Placid, a picturesque Adirondack ski town that would become the first city to host three times if the bid is successful. Housing in New York state’s “North Country” also presents a potential challenge. The 1980 Olympic village was later turned 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.”
Committee members include Laura Pegula, whose family own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, and New York State Assembly member Robert Carroll.
Some are still feeling the sting from New York City’s unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Summer Games, when a failed attempt at building a West Side Stadium undermined an otherwise compelling campaign. The 2012 Olympics eventually went to London.
The most recent World Cup has eased some of those bitter memories, with the final held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium and the New York New Jersey Committee welcoming millions of tourists to the region, largely without issue.
If they are successful, Lake Placid-New York City would be the third American host for the Games in 14 years, after LA28 and Salt Lake City in 2034.
Two-time Olympic Super-G medallist Andrew Weibrecht, the Games Operations Subcommittee co-chair, told Reuters it could help spark a new generation of American winter sports talent.
“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.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Christian Radnedge)
