There is a very small chance that part of the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in New York

The 2026 Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from February 6 to 22, 2026. However, following recent developments, New York may have a chance to co-host some of the events: Lake Placid has been named an official backup location in case the new bobsled slope in Cortina is not ready in time. The upstate New York town is no stranger to the Winter Olympics, having hosted the Games in both 1932 and 1980.

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We have to be honest: given that the sporting event is still 13 months away and progress on the slope is ongoing, officials are confident there won't be a need for a backup location. That said, as with any large-scale project, the situation could change.

That wasn't always the case, though. A while back, when financial backing failed to materialize for Cortina's new bobsled slope, the possibility of relocating the event felt very real. In addition to Lake Placid, which has hosted the Games in both 1932 and 1980, other potential backup locations included Innsbruck, Austria, and St. Moritz, Switzerland.

"Lake Placid is our official Plan B," organizers said in an official statement earlier this week, "but only in the event that we can't go to Cortina, a scenario that seems unlikely based on the reassuring progress reports we've received."

According to Simco, the construction company handling the Olympic infrastructure, 67% of the bobsled slope was completed as of last month, signaling that things are on track for the host nation.

While we fully expect the event to proceed as planned, with Milan hosting the skiing events and Cortina focusing on bobsled, luge, and skeleton, we’ll gladly head upstate if Lake Placid's role as a backup becomes a reality.

In the meantime this winter, you can still visit the bobsled and sliding track in Mt. Van Hoevenberg and slide down it yourself! Lake Placid also has its own Olympic Center, where you can learn all about the past Olympic games and visit the famous Herb Brooks Arena where the “Miracle On Ice” game was played.