Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games kick off in style

The Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games kicked off on Thursday night with a star-studded performance during the opening ceremony. The production was the work of Executive Producer Mark Poncher, who has also worked on the Rio de Janeiro 2007 and Guadalajara 2011 Pan American Games, among other events.

Before the event, Poncher summed up the role winter and Lake Placid’s Olympic history had in the ceremony.

“When we look at the word ‘winter’, we are looking at ‘Save Winter,’ ‘Celebrate Winter’, ‘Enjoy Winter’, and ‘Preserve Winter’… This is our first FISU Games, but we’ve worked in many different stadia around the world, and we’re really excited to be part of this particular stadium with its rich history.”

The ceremony started with an ancestral welcome by the Oneida Indian Nation and Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe. A song of recognition of the higher spirits of traditional belief was chanted after the welcome speech, in which the audience was invited to respond with the refrain which in the local indigenous language means “Beautiful”. Lake Placid is in the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, a confederation of tribes formed in the 15th century and today comprised the Oneida, Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, and Tuscarora nations.

Shortly afterwards, the parade of nations started with Argentina and their three-person delegation. All 46 participating nations were represented, some of the most notable flagbearers being Olympian Magnus Bøe of Norway and Tomas Klinsky, who won the silver medal in Super-G at the Krasnoyarsk 2019 FISU World University Games.

The host flagbearer was Lake Placid’s very own Van Ledger, 2020 Youth Olympian in biathlon. After a quick post-parade skate by the Games’ mascot Adirondack Mac, the Star-Spangled Banner was interpreted by 2018 U.S. bobsleigh Olympian Christopher Kinney.

The torch relay’s final legs were shared among Lake Placid natives Jim Miller, Art Lussi, Andrew Weibrecht, and their children. They lit the LED-powered cauldron located on Main Street in Lake Placid.

Written by Christopher Benítez Cuartas, FISU Young Reporter