Could The Winter Olympics Come Back To New York?

We still have to wait two years for the next Winter Olympics, but a big decision regarding where some of the events will take place is coming soon. 

Although the Summer Olympics are arguably more popular overall, there are plenty of fans of the Winter Olympics here in New York State, thanks to our love of cold weather sports and our Olympic history here in the Empire State. 

When Will The 2026 Winter Olympics Take Place?

The next Winter Olympic games will take place February 6th through 22nd of 2026 in Milian and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and will host athletes from around the globe competing in fan-favorite events like ice hockey, curling, and downhill skiing. 

However, because the current bobsled run in the Milan area is in desperate need of repair, the International Olympic Committee have decided to move the bobsled, luge, and skeleton competitions elsewhere. The question is - where?

It turns out, there’s a chance that these events could take place in a familiar area in Upstate New York. 

Could Lake Placid, New York Host Part Of The Upcoming Winter Olympics?

The small village of Lake Placid, nestled in New York State’s Adirondack mountains, is no stranger to Olympic fever. 

The first Winter Olympics ever held in the United States took place in Lake Placid in 1932, and were hosted again there in 1980 - a year that would become one of the most historic Olympics of all-time. 

The 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid is where the historic “Miracle On Ice” took place, in which the U.S. Men’s hockey team defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union in a massive 4-3 upset to clinch the gold medal. 

Now, because of the state of the bobsled run in Italy, there’s a chance the Olympics (well, part of them, anyway) could make a triumphant return to Upstate New York. 

According to the Albany Times Union, New York’s Olympic Regional Development Authority has put in a bid to the IOC to host the “sliding events” in Lake Placid, as they have spent millions of dollars to keep their bobsled track and other Olympic venues up to date there. 

However, they’re also competing with bids from Australia and Switzerland (which are obviously much closer in proximity to the other events in Italy), as well as a proposal from Italy to repair the track they have there. 

There’s pretty much zero chance of the entire Olympic Games coming back to Lake Placid. The event is much more massive now than it was back in 1980, and the small town wouldn’t be able to handle it. 

However, hosting just a few events there in 2026 would be great for New York State, and we’d love to see them back in Lake Placid - even if it is a long shot.