The future of the Olympics’ presence
in the Adirondacks is questionable. In a last pull for recognition, Lake Placid
proposed sanctioning the 2026 Winter Games along with a host city in Quebec as
a joint endeavor. For months, sports organizers in Lake Placid have worked to
revive the idea of the Winter Olympics coming back to Lake Placid. In doing so,
they have pushed for more state funding for Olympic venues in order to make
their dreams possible. The mayor of Lake Placid has been holding talks with the
mayor of Quebec City about a possible partnership for the 2026 Winter games.
However, the U.S. Olympic officials said they won’t sanction a Winter Games
shared between Lake Placid and Quebec, as they want the Olympics to come back
to the U.S. and the U.S. only.
This
was a tough blow to the struggling Olympic center in Lake Placid. There is
growing concern about the Lake Placid Olympic venue, particularly about the
outdated center’s ability to compete with other winter sport venues such as
Park City, Utah. USA Luge, the last major Olympic sport headquartered in Lake
Placid, is currently considering moving its facilities west to Park City. In
order to stay, they have asked New York State to finance an expanded training
facility in Lake Placid.
The
question is whether or not this expansion will occur. The Olympic center is a
unique aspect of the Park, and an important part of Lake Placid’s culture.
However, I wonder if it is important enough to the people for them to approve a
several-billion-dollar expansion project to occur in the Park. This expansion
project would also be taking away state money that could be spent on other
aspects of the Park, such as purchasing more Forest Preserve land. Not to
mention, expanding the Olympic center will most likely involve further changes
to the constitution to approve such extreme development. I am curious to see
what happens regarding the expansion, and if the citizens of New York State are
willing to approve the conservation trade-offs that would come with the
possible return of the Olympics to the Park.
Sources
Mann, Brian. USOC
Shoots Down Joint Lake Placid-Quebec Winter Games. North Country Public
Radio; April 22, 2016. Web. Accessed April 25, 2016.
Regardless of where the Olympic committee goes, the presence of the Olympics in Lake Placid will always be felt. Also, the infrastructure will continue to inspire many New Yorkers to participate in winter sports. For example, I don't believe any of us have tried ski jumping, and a good reason for that is because we didn't grow up around an skijumping facilities.
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