FISU and Lake Placid Take Key Steps Towards 2023 Winter Universiade

The FISU Executive Committee sign a Memorandum of Understanding for the right to host the 2023 Winter Universiade

LAUSANNE – During the FISU Executive Committee meetings this week in the city of international sport, the FISU board approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the Lake Placid bid to host the 2023 Winter Universiade. The move builds upon a successful evaluation visit to Lake Placid by senior FISU leaders in early February.

“FISU continues to be very impressed by Lake Placid and the Adirondack region. We are pleased to formalise our dialogue with the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding. The MOU clearly demonstrates the willingness of all parties to move towards a suitable hosting agreement,” said FISU President Oleg Matytsin. “From its outset, the bid has been one of the strongest we have seen. FISU has no doubt that Lake Placid would be a great host for the 2023 Winter Universiade, making a lifelong impact on the thousands of student-athletes would come from all around the world.”

FISU and Lake Placid sign a MoU for the city’s right to host the 2023 Winter Universiade 

As former host of the Winter Universiade in 1972 and the Olympic Winter Games in 1932 and 1980, Lake Placid and the surrounding venues in the Adirondack region continue to have a strong record of hosting international sports events at the highest level.

 The K90 and K120 ski jumps that are part of the Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex are an iconic part of the winter sports destination

Since 1980, Lake Placid has hosted 14 World Championships and more than 100 World Cup competitions. The area’s legacy as a world-class multi-sport event destination is managed thanks to the work of the trendsetting Olympic Regional Development Authority.

“Successful hosting does not end with the closing ceremony,” continued Matytsin. “We have to ensure the sustainability of our events by making sure they fit with the long-term development plans of the region. The IOC has shown with its Agenda 2020 that the bidding process can be most successful when it is conceived of as a genuine exchange between potential host and rights holder, with sustainability a real focus of this exchange. There are mutually beneficial gains to be achieved from such an approach. FISU is convinced that this is the right model for ensuring the hosting of major multi-sport events is based on firm foundations.”

Having sports facilities like the historic Herb Brooks Arena that played host to the “Miracle on Ice” during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games was a key part of the Lake Placid bid .