New York Lawmaker Pushes for Winter Olympics Across Two Cities

Assemblyman Robert Carroll inspired by Italy's dual-city model for 2026 Winter Games

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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New York Assemblyman Robert Carroll is leading an initiative to host the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and New York City, similar to how Milan and Cortina are hosting the 2026 Winter Games in Italy. Carroll plans to travel to Italy this week to learn from their experience connecting the two regions for the games. The idea emerged after New York invested $500 million in upgrading Lake Placid's facilities, and Carroll wants the governor to explore the feasibility of hosting the games "without breaking the bank or spending tax dollars on sports infrastructure."

Why it matters

Hosting the Winter Olympics across two cities would be a first-of-its-kind model, and New York has the existing infrastructure in Lake Placid and the resources of New York City to potentially pull it off. However, the logistics of connecting the two regions and managing the games would be a significant challenge.

The details

Assemblyman Carroll is traveling to Italy this week to observe how Milan and Cortina, which are about 4.5 hours apart, are connecting the two regions for the 2026 Winter Games. Lake Placid and New York City are about 5 hours apart. Carroll plans to "take the train and then a bus" to see how the logistics work. He wants to establish a committee of 30-40 people to explore the feasibility of hosting the games in New York without excessive costs.

  • Assemblyman Carroll plans to travel to Italy this week.
  • The governor is expected to establish a feasibility committee this spring.

The players

Assemblyman Robert Carroll

A state lawmaker from Brooklyn leading the initiative to bring the Winter Olympics to New York.

David Leggio

A former player for the Amerks and the 2018 USA Hockey Team who supports the idea of hosting the Winter Olympics in New York.

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What they’re saying

“I think it's a thousand percent doable.”

— Assemblyman Robert Carroll, Brooklyn, Kings County (whec.com)

“I just watched the 1980 documentary on Netflix which is fantastic.”

— David Leggio, Team USA hockey 2018 Olympics (whec.com)

“Obviously all the infrastructure is there. I'm sure they could figure out the housing and lodging and all that but I think it would be awesome.”

— David Leggio, Team USA hockey 2018 Olympics (whec.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

Hosting the Winter Olympics across two cities would be a groundbreaking model, and New York has the existing infrastructure and resources to potentially pull it off. However, the logistical challenges of connecting Lake Placid and New York City would be significant, and the state would need to carefully manage costs to avoid excessive spending on sports infrastructure.