NEW YORK (PIX11) – New York could take center stage in the Winter Olympics in 2042.
It hasn’t happened since 1980, when the winter games took place in Lake Placid, the famed arena for the “Miracle on Ice,” when the U.S. Olympic hockey team beat the Soviet Union.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters she’s looking to launch an exploratory committee to consider bidding for the winter games. Assemblymember Robert Carroll also confirmed the state has taken “the first step” towards a serious bid for the 2042 Olympics.
Carroll said the bid would include venues in Lake Placid and New York City.
“Thanks to Governor Hochul’s investments modernizing Lake Placid’s Olympic facilities, paired with New York City’s unmatched venues, transit system, and infrastructure, New York is uniquely positioned to host a successful and sustainable Winter Games,” Carroll said in a post to X.
Many cities celebrate the Olympics as a boon to the local economy and a spotlight on the world’s stage. There aren’t many venues that match up with the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.
Imagine the potential of witnessing the best figure skaters or ice dancers in the world one night, then watching gold medal hockey games at MSG the next.
What if there were curling matches at Yankee Stadium? Bobsledding around Citi Field and the Billie Jean Tennis Center? How about highly intense short-track speedskating at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn?
The spectacle would be nothing short of breathtaking, and yet another reason for New Yorkers to show off their home to the masses.
But critics say it’s a costly undertaking with little promise of great returns. In a recent study, the Council on Foreign Relations cautioned that “revenues cover only a fraction of expenditures” for host cities and that a short-term spike in jobs often has no effect on the broader economy.
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A significant movement has grown against the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, calling attention to possible negative effects on housing and safety.
“The Olympics always accelerate policing, evictions, inequality, exploitation, and the erosion of democracy in every host city. The LA 2028 games are no different,” the group NOlympics LA said.
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.
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