New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has formed an exploratory committee to evaluate holding the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in New York City and Lake Placid in 2042.
In a news release issued Monday morning, it was announced that a committee will assess whether regionally-coordinated Winter Games, “built around existing venues, sustainability, fiscal responsibility, and community engagement”, would be in line with New York State’s economic, tourism and infrastructure goals.
The Lake Placid-New York City Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games Exploratory Committee will be chaired by Ashley Walden, president and CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, and include leaders from state and local government, including Karen Persichilli Keogh, secretary to Gov. Hochul. There is also representation from New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, through Julie Su, deputy mayor for Economic Justice. There will also be subcommittees to focus on community engagement, finance, games operations and legal challenges.
Speaking to The Athletic in May, Gov. Hochul insisted that there is “sincere” political ambition and “significant” meetings underway as she seeks to bring the Winter Olympics back to New York State for the first time since 1980. That Olympics is most fondly remembered for the Miracle on Ice, when the U.S. men’s hockey team upset the odds by defeating the Soviet Union.
The next opening to host the Games would be 2042, with France to host 2030, Salt Lake City to host 2034 and Switzerland in exclusive dialogue with the International Olympic Committee to land 2038.
The idea for the joint New York-Lake Placid bid is inspired by the success of the most recent Winter Olympics and Paralympics hosted by Milan and Cortina in Italy, despite the locations being around 250 miles apart. New York City and Lake Placid are less than 300 miles apart.
Milan and Cortina jointly staged the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
Robert C. Carroll, a member of the New York State Assembly, has previously said that venues such as Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center and UBS Arena could stage indoor ice events, while also pitching Big Air skiing and snowboarding events at Citi Field or Yankee Stadium, as well as cross-country sprint through Central Park.
Lake Placid, which previously hosted Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980, could host many of the usual events associated with the Games, while also benefiting from the reputation, hotels and broader infrastructure of New York City.
Assemblyman Carroll has also previously said that hosting the Games could “accelerate long-overdue investment” in the rail corridors between Penn Station in New York City to Albany and Saratoga Springs, while suggesting the organizers could provide shuttle services from there to ferry fans to the games in Lake Placid.
In a news release Monday, Gov. Hochul said: “The time is now to return the Olympic flame back to New York.
“Milano Cortina showcased the immense possibility that comes with a dual city Olympic Games. It’s clear we have a one-in-a generation opportunity to build on Lake Placid’s Olympic legacy, New York City’s global platform, and the strengths that make our State unique. That’s why I’ve assembled some of the best and the brightest in sports, government and community leadership to take the steps necessary to ensure New York is in the best possible position to make the dream of a Lake Placid-New York City Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games a reality.”
The release added that the exploratory process is expected to take around one year and cautioned that does not represent a ironclad commitment to follow up with a formal Olympic or Paralympic bid.