Lake Placid will host major sliding occasions abroad this winter, after the International Luge Federation said Wednesday that it would host a World Cup there due to considerations about the coronavirus pandemic.
The village in Uping State in New York intended to host a Sleigh World Cup in mid-January and will now be held in Oberhof, Germany, meaning that the entire sliding season will take place in Europe and Asia, without North America.
The FIL’s resolution came a day after Lake Placid lost the bobsleigh and skeleton world championships this winter amid worries. They were transferred to Altenberg, Germany, and Lake Placid will host the championships in 2025.
The main challenge in either condition is the likelihood that athletes entering the United States will be forced to quarantine for 14 days due to New York policies to minimize the threat of the coronavirus.
“Now we’ve entered other times and we’ll have to first security,” said Jim Leahy, CEO of USA Sledge. “The coronavirus, along with the mandatory 14-day quarantine related to it, dictated the FIL’s decision. We are saddened to lose our only home race, however, we perceive that we are all looking to sail at an unprecedented time.
Organizers were also involved in whether athletes from other countries can simply, or even wish, come to the United States this winter, and whether enthusiasts could enter Mount Van Hoevenberg, the Lake Placid track.
Park City, Utah, also lost a Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup this season, and Canada was scheduled to host the Luge World Championship in February. These occasions have been relocated or eliminated due to coronavirus concerns, as have alpine skiing and speed skating occasions in the United States and Canada.
Lake Placid is most likely a candidate to host the World Cups in the 2021–22 season, which will lead to the 2022 Beijing Olympics.