The next Winter Olympics and Paralympics will be held in northern Italy in 2026.
But, in a weird twist prompted by venue and facility issues, it turns out part of the competition could possibly wind up in… Lake Placid, New York.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced Thursday that authorites in Lake Placid have officially submitted a proposal to host the sliding events − bobsled, skeleton and luge − for the 2026 Games, potentially bringing a small slice of the Olympics back to the United States.
‘The organizers of Milan-Cortina are actively seeking solutions to support the sliding sport competition at the 2026 Games,’ USOPC chief executive officer Sarah Hirshland said on a media teleconference. ‘I’m proud to say that the New York Olympic Authority has stepped up and that we’re fully supportive of their efforts to welcome the world in 2026 for this important element of the competition.’
Hirshland said Milan-Cortina organizers first reached out and invited the U.S. to submit a bid in late October or early November. The proposal was due December 1, she added.
The venue for sliding sports at the 2026 Games has been up in the air for several months now. Organizers initially had proposed spending roughly $60 million to revive a storied sliding venue in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, but construction delays and a skyrocketing price tag have derailed that plan. More recent estimates for the work are now approaching $160 million.
The issues with the Cortina venue have prompted Italian authorities to consider other options, including re-using the sliding venue from the 2006 Turin Olympics. But the International Olympic Committee has balked at that idea. So now, Milan-Cortina organizers are entertaining international options − including, apparently, the United States.
After being contacted by Milan-Cortina, Hirshland said the USOPC gauged the interest of the two sliding sport venues in the U.S. that regularly host elite-level competitions − one in Lake Placid and the other in Salt Lake City. Officials at the latter venue preferred to keep their focus on hosting the 2034 Winter Olympics, she said. But the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which oversees facilities in Lake Placid, presents ‘a compelling solution’ given the quality of its venues.
Lake Placid is the only U.S. city to host two editions of the Winter Games, in 1932 and then again in 1980. It is also home to a U.S. Olympic Training Center.
It is immediately unclear when Milan-Cortina organizers will make a final decision on which venue will host the sliding events for the 2026 Games. Despite Lake Placid’s willingness, tracks in nearby Switzerland and Austria still appear to be among the most likely options, given their proximity to the rest of the Games. And Italian authorities are still trying to find solutions that will keep bobsled, luge and skeleton in-country.
“We’ll look at it in the next few days with (finance minister Giancarlo) Giorgetti and we’ll unravel the knots, I’m more than confident,” Italy’s Minister for Sport Andrea Abodi told The Associated Press earlier this week, when asked about the possibility of sliding sports being held in Cortina.
“We have full collaboration with the IOC, we’ll find a solution.’
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.