As the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics begin in Italy, one politician will be watching with a dream of bringing the games back to the Empire State.
New York state Assemblymember Robert Carroll of Brooklyn wants to organize an exploratory committee to look into returning the Winter Olympics to Lake Placid for the first time in decades — in coordination with New York City.
“We have all the sports facilities in place to host a Winter Games,” Carroll said in an interview. “I think this is an opportunity for us to dream and to think big.”
Milan-Cortina 2026 is the first Olympics officially cohosted by two locations. The city and ski town are about 250 miles apart, roughly the same distance as New York City to the Adirondacks.
“If they can do it, I think New York City and Lake Placid can do it,” Carroll said. “It's a great blueprint that we can build on.”
The International Olympic Committee selects host sites about 10 years in advance. The committee is now in an exclusive “privileged dialogue” period for the 2038 Games with Switzerland, meaning the next opening is likely 2042.
Lake Placid hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980, when the U.S. men’s ice hockey team pulled off what’s known as the “Miracle on Ice” win over Russia. A public corporation called the Olympic Regional Development Authority still maintains the Olympic facilities upstate and recently oversaw a $500 million renovation to host the 2023 FISU World University Games.
Lake Placid was also the official emergency backup for the sliding track events at this year’s Olympics if Milan-Cortina’s facilities weren’t ready in time.
“ I think it's a great idea,” Lake Placid Mayor Art Devlin said in a phone interview while on the way to hit the slopes. In terms of Olympic snow and ice facilities, he said, “We are literally amongst the best in the world.”
Still, Devlin said the 1980 Olympics stretched the small town’s hosting capacity to the limit.
“If we're ever going to do anything again, it has to be in collaboration with someone else,” he said. “And New York City is the logical partner.”
Carroll believes New York City should host the large indoor spectator events, such as ice hockey, figure skating, and speed skating.
“ We've got Madison Square Garden, we've got the Barclays Center, we've got the U.S. Tennis Center and Citi Field and Yankee Stadium,” he said, adding that he imagines the opening ceremonies being held in Times Square and medal ceremonies in front of Rockefeller Center.
The assemblymember said the next step would be to form an exploratory committee of 30 to 40 public officials, business and civic leaders from New York City and Lake Placid. If that group decides to move forward, they would organize an official bid with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
The mayors of New York City and Lake Placid, alongside the governor, would need to support the proposal for it to advance. Mayor Michael Bloomberg tried to bring the 2012 Summer Olympics to New York City, but the bid fell apart amid failed permitting and local opposition.
Boston’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics also drew intense public backlash.
NYU urban planning professor Mitchell Moss, a former Bloomberg advisor, said he was skeptical of the Winter Olympics pitch.
“Massive public investment would be required to improve access to Lake Placid,” he said. He noted the town is far from major airports.
But Carroll thinks the fact the state already hosts a number of Olympic-class facilities will help draw public support for his proposal. The Winter Olympics are also about a third of the size of the Summer Games and require much less infrastructure and lodging.
Gov. Kathy Hochul hinted at support for Carroll’s plan. A spokesperson for her said she is “always open to exploring opportunities” that highlight New York, and cited the state’s “proud history of hosting international sporting events and welcoming the world.”
A representative for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not respond to a request for comment.
Carroll said he plans to fly to Italy next week to attend the Milan-Cortina Games and see how the joint hosting works on the ground, as well as begin drumming up support for an NYC-Lake Placid bid.
“ I think we would be foolish not to throw our hat in the ring,” he said.
