World Championships and World Cups in three different sports are scheduled for 2024-25

Application to host the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina as an alternative venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events

Lake Placid – host of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics – continues to attract the world’s best athletes to New York State

Builds on the Governor’s commitment to support New York’s $123 billion tourism industry

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (Olympic Authority) 2024-2025 events calendar, which includes World Cup events in three different sports and the International Bobsled & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Championships scheduled for March 2025. The announcement follows the conclusion of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris and the success of the U.S. team, which earned an impressive 126 medals, including 40 gold medals.

“With the recent government investment to renovate the sports infrastructure in Lake Placid, we are building on our commitment to the lasting legacy of sporting prestige in the north of the country,” Said Governor Hochul. “By hosting a variety of exciting events in the coming months, we are embracing the region’s history and strengthening its infrastructure and opportunities.”

Highlights of the Olympic Association’s 2024-2025 program include the inaugural WHOOP Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Mountain Bike World Series in Lake Placid from September 27-29, followed by the return of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Aerials World Cup from January 18-19 and the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, which now includes both men’s and women’s competitions, from February 7-9. The IBSF World Championships will be held over two weeks from March 6-16.

Other major events on the upcoming schedule include the FIS Junior World Championships in Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined from February 11-16, the SuperTour Nordic Finals from March 27-30, and two major college hockey tournaments – the Adirondack Invitational (November 29-30) and the ECAC Men’s Hockey Championships (March 21-22) – at the Olympic Center.

The Organizing Committee of the Milano Cortina 2026 Games published a call for proposals on November 1, 2023, asking National Olympic Committees for proposals for a host venue for the sled sports (bobsleigh, skeleton, luge). Host cities are encouraged to use existing and temporary venues that can be spread across multiple cities, regions or countries. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) submitted Lake Placid – New York State’s bid to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on December 1, 2023. The proposal outlines a sustainable solution to host and inspire a new generation in partnership with Milano Cortina, and supports the State’s investment in Olympic Authority facilities, international winter sports in Lake Placid, and the enthusiasm of Little Italy and New York City to celebrate the athletes and the sport. Lake Placid – New York State’s bid remains a contender to be called Plan B for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton.

WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, March 27-29 September – Mt Van Hoevenberg

Traditionally known as a host of winter events, the Olympic Authority World Cup season begins this fall on September 27-29 at Mount Van Hoevenberg, with the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series making its debut in Lake Placid. The world’s best mountain bikers, male and female, will compete in three different World Cup races – Cross-Country Olympic (XCO), Cross-Country Short Track (XCC) and Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) – with prize money and points on the line. The cross-country field includes newly crowned Olympic medalists Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Haley Baten, Tom Pidcock and Victor Koretzky, as well as legends of the sport such as Nino Schurter, who is currently second in the UCI overall standings. Baten’s silver medal in Paris was the best finish ever by an American rider at an Olympic Games.

As Governor Hochul announced earlier this year, the Olympic Authority and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, the global event organizer that manages the broadcast, promotion and organization of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, have entered into a three-year agreement to host the races and help grow the discipline worldwide. The Lake Placid event will be shown on the Max streaming service’s B/R Sports Hub in the U.S. Tickets and more information about the event are available here.

FIS Freestyle Aerials World Cup, 18.-19. January – Olympic Jumping Complex

The FIS Freestyle Aerials World Cup for men and women will be held at the Olympic Jumping Complex on 18 and 19 January 2025 for the first time since 2019. An Olympic sport since the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Games, Aerials is a spectator-friendly discipline in which athletes perform acrobatic somersaults, twists and turns in the air and points are awarded based on overall flight, form and landing success.

Lake Placid is one of eight FIS Aerials World Cups on the 2024-25 calendar and includes men’s and women’s individual competitions as well as a mixed team competition. The season will begin on November 24, 2024 in Ruka, Finland, and will conclude with the World Championships, which begin on March 30, 2025. Lake Placid, a regular stop on the FIS Aerials World Cup tour between 1985 and 2019, will be the second Aerials World Cup of the 2024-2025 season.

The U.S. aerials team is traditionally strong. Christopher Lillis, an Olympic gold medalist and native of Rochester, NY, achieved multiple World Cup podium finishes last year, placing third overall. Winter Vinecki of Michigan won three individual World Cups last year, finishing a close second in the FIS overall standings behind Danielle Scott of Australia.

FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, 7-9 February – Olympic Jumping Complex

After successfully hosting the FIS Men’s Ski Jumping World Cup over the past two years, the Olympic Association is now announcing the addition of women’s individual ski jumping competitions and a mixed team competition from February 7 to 9 on the large hill at the Olympic Jumping Complex.

With 19-year-old Slovenian Nika Prevc as the reigning Crystal Globe winner and Alexandria Loutitt of Calgary as the first Canadian to ever win a world championship in the sport, the women’s team is bringing a whole new level of excitement to the weekend.

Stefan Kraft, who went on to win the 2024 World Cup overall points championship, finished the Lake Placid World Cup in style last year by winning the weekend’s final individual competition with the last jump of the day. With his winning jump, Kraft overtook Lovro Kos, a Slovenian who had won his first World Cup individual victory the day before. The U.S. team is expected to be led by Tate Frantz of Lake Placid and the brother-sister team of Annika Belshaw and Erik Belshaw. For more information on the Ski Jumping World Cup, click here.

IBSF Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships, 6-16 March – Mt. Van Hoevenberg

The IBSF World Championships are the premier bobsleigh and skeleton event of the season, offering the world’s best bobsledders the opportunity to experience career-defining moments. Mt Van Hoevenberg has hosted the Bobsleigh World Championships nine times since 1949, including the combined IBSF Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships in 2009 and 2012. The 2025 IBSF World Championships were originally scheduled to take place in 2021, but were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

World champions will be crowned in Lake Placid in seven different disciplines: four-man bobsleigh, two-man bobsleigh, two-man bobsleigh, women’s monobob, men’s skeleton, women’s skeleton and skeleton mixed team. The winners will be determined based on the total times from four runs, giving athletes a motivational boost as they continue to prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

Germany has long dominated the bobsleigh and skeleton sports, winning 11 of the 12 medals awarded at the 2025 World Championships in Winterberg. Francesco Friedrich, who won gold in the two-man and four-man bobsleigh at the last two Olympic Games and is widely regarded as the best bobsleigh pilot of all time, was able to increase his record of 14 world championship titles in Winterberg last year. Friedrich plans to retire after the 2026 Olympic Games.

The IBSF World Championships were last held at Mt Van Hoevenberg in 2012, when Steven Holcomb led the US sleds to victories in the two-man, four-man and team events. Holcomb, who ended a 62-year drought for the Americans for Olympic gold in the four-man event at the 2010 Vancouver Games, won two silver medals at the 2014 Sochi Games. Information on the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation can be found here.

Two years ago, Lake Placid hosted the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup for the first time in over 30 years, attracting over 15,000 spectators from around the world. In addition, these numbers also have corresponding economic impacts. Last year, the organization’s total economic impact was $341.8 million, almost 25 percent more than the $273.6 million three years earlier. With an extensive calendar of events that attracts the world’s best athletes and diverse audiences to Lake Placid, the Olympic Organization continues to fulfill its mission of creating economic and social benefits for the region by responsibly operating the venues that hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.

Governor Hochul’s support for the tourism industry

Governor Hochul has remained strongly committed to supporting New York’s tourism industry – one of the state’s most important economic engines. New York State welcomed 291.5 million visitors in 2022, the largest number of visitors in New York State history, resulting in over $78.6 billion in direct spending and a total economic impact of $123 billion, following historic investments in tourism, economic development, outdoor recreation, transportation and other key sectors.

As part of this commitment, the Governor has supported significant investments of more than $600 million in Olympic Authority facilities to reposition New York State as a global winter sports destination. These investments have supported major sporting events such as the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games, held in Lake Placid last year. The major transformations and modernizations were undertaken with a focus on sustainability and fiscal responsibility. In parallel, event organizer and promoter WBD Sports recently received ISO20121 certification for its commitment to sustainable event management. This certification validates the structured framework that integrates sustainability into their event management practices. Since the Olympic Authority began its modernization projects, total visits to Olympic Authority facilities have increased significantly. Visitor numbers at all venues combined exceeded the one million mark for the first time in 2022-2023, reaching a total of 1,014,292 visits.

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