Photo, courtesy of the Adirondack Sports Council

With less than one year before the start of the opening ceremony for the Lake Placid 2023 World University Games Winter, members of FISU last week visited upstate New York to view the venues and meet with the Organising Committee. This is in preparation for the more than 2,500 student-athletes and officials that are expected to descend on Lake Placid 12 – 22 January 2023 to compete in 12 sports and 86 medal events.

Photo, courtesy of the Adirondack Sports CouncilPlanning, transportation, opening and closing ceremonies and other aspects of the 2023 FISU Games were discussed over the course of the visit. Tours of competition venues in Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, Canton, Potsdam, and North Creek were completed as well as reviews of athlete villages.

FISU Director General Paulo Ferreira, who was part of the delegation visiting Lake Placid, commented, “There’s interest and there’s curiosity about the Games. Lake Placid is on the map, it’s going to be on the map forever. FISU is proud to be helping Lake Placid again in terms of relevance. From our side we want to be good neighbors, not only with Lake Placid but with all Organizing Committees going through.”

Two ceremonies were also part of the week’s activities. The first, on 24 March, was a parade that welcomed winter Olympians returning home to the United States from the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. It took place down Main Street in Lake Placid culminating at the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval. There, Adirondack Sports Council Executive Director Ashley Walden and mascot Adirondack Mac introduced the many kids and attendees to the sports they can witness in Lake Placid next January.

Photo, courtesy of the Adirondack Sports Council

FISU delegates also took part in the opening of the new headquarters for the Lake Placid FISU Games Organising Committee. The building, located at the former Uilhein Potato Farm on Bear Cub Road, is designed with an open plan to support and encourage staff communication and engagement.

“With the Games coming in January, this is an exciting time for the Organising Committee,” noted Walden. “I’m excited to have everyone together in one setting, under one roof, so that we continue to grow as an organization and a team and create the best Games’ experience possible, not only for the athletes but for everyone involved.”

Though winter has shifted to spring in Lake Placid, excitement is building for next winter and the start of the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games. As the FISU delegation experienced, athletes can expect both great facilities and hospitality when they arrive next January.

Written by Doug McLean
(with information and resources from Jon Lundin, Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games Head of Communications & Media)