Lake Placid awaits word on whether it'll be picked as the Olympic sliding site for 2026 Games

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Picture this: A sliding athlete wins an Olympic medal in Lake Placid next winter, then is chauffeured down to New York for an award ceremony at Rockefeller Center a few days later with thousands of people there to cheer on both moments. It could happen. The element of incorporating New York into the Olympics is just one of the unique possibilities inside Lake Placid's plan if the two-time Olympic host gets asked by the International Olympic Committee to be the site of the sliding events for next winter's Milan-Cortina Games, according to documents reviewed this week by The Associated Press. Lake Placid was picked as the just-in-case backup track last year, and with the Olympics less than a year away a decision could be looming on whether the Adirondack village will be called to serve once again. "The most important thing is to give the athletes what they deserve, and that is a true celebration," said Ashley Walden, the CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which manages the Olympic venues in Lake Placid. "They've been working for it for four years. It needs to be bigger than the everyday race. That's the key to all of this. That's where New York City and the fanfare that we can offer, in addition to the race-night competition here, is crucial." How and when the decision comes on where the sliding races will be is unclear. Every indication put forth by Italian organizers is that the rebuilding of the historic Eugenio Monti track in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, will be done in time. But there is also a push for a definitive answer, especially with homologation — a fancy way of saying getting the necessary testing of the track done as part of the certifying process — set to begin in less than three weeks. Simico, the Italian government agency in charge of building the Cortina track, said Friday that "everything is going according to plan" and that ice is already being laid down on parts of the track, with pre-homologation slated for March 24-31. But International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation president Ivo Ferriani reminded sliders at Wednesday night's opening of their sports' world championships in Lake Placid that they may be back at Mount Van Hoevenberg next year for the Olympics, which caused the Italian contingent in the stands to audibly groan when he said that during his brief opening speech. "To be honest, no matter where it is, I'm going to go to race," world men's skeleton champion Matt Weston of Britain said after winning the title at Lake Placid on Friday. Ferriani didn't offer a timetable. And that's the part Lake Placid — and really, the rest of the sliding world — is waiting to hear. Lake Placid's plan will take months to execute, and the sooner a decision comes the better, officials there say. "We are coming to a crucial point where we have to make a decision," Walden said Friday. "We have a vision for what it should be, and we want to be successful in achieving that. And the longer and the less lead time that we have, the less likely that is." Lake Placid's bid plan includes the possibility of charter flights to bring athletes to and from upstate New York from Italy if those Olympians choose to attend the opening or closing ceremony there. It even details how sled transport from Europe will work and how other airports in the area — such as Montreal, Albany and Plattsburgh, New York, in addition to New York's John F. Kennedy — could be involved. The Lake Placid plan calls for Paul Smith's College, a small private school about 28 miles from Mount Van Hoevenberg, to serve as an athlete's village; the school would essentially close for January and February to accommodate that plan, and students there — many of whom are studying either sports management or hospitality — could work the games. "We want the athletes to have their village feel and Paul Smith's lets us accomplish that," Walden said. "It's the perfect size." Hotel rooms in the area have been secured for potential visitors and, either way, ORDA will spend about $80 million in the coming months primarily to build more spectator seating and modernize the refrigeration systems at the track. The construction involved in those projects is already underway and will pick up rapidly once the track is closed for the season around the end of this month. There are parallels within the plans for Lake Placid and Italy that organizers in the Adirondacks point to as well. Part of the marketing plan is touting that there's basically one degree of separation in terms of latitude between Lake Placid and Milan, and how it's essentially five hours between Lake Placid and New York — almost the same distance between Milan and Cortina. "I can't wrap my head around an Olympics being here," U.S. men's skeleton athlete Dan Barefoot said. "I actually don't even know how Lake Placid will handle it. It'd be insane." New York also cites statistics saying the state is home to about 3.1 million people with Italian heritage, second only to Argentina in terms of non-Italian locales in the world. And while Lake Placid played host to the Olympics in 1932 and 1980, New York City has never been an Olympic site. The Rockefeller Center plan — if that part happens, and nothing has been confirmed on that front, would likely include some collaboration with Olympic broadcaster NBC given the proximity of its studio there. There's ideas for a medals podium, a mini sliding track, athlete interviews on NBC's "Today," viewing parties, athlete meet-and-greets and cultural integration with celebrities, businesspeople and restaurateurs of Italian-American descent. "You have this incredible city that loves to celebrate, and these athletes that are displaced from one country now in a place and competing here and have these special elements of celebration," ORDA spokeswoman Darcy Norfolk said. "It's the piece that I think also showcases New York state, Lake Placid to New York City, and kind of what we can do together."