The ORDA reports that there were more than one million visits to its venues over the past 12 months, a period which included the FISU inter World University Games ©ITG

New York State’s Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) has announced that a record number of people visited its venues over the past year after playing host to the International University Sports Federation Winter World University Games.

The ORDA has revealed there were visits of more than one million in the 12-month period which is estimated to be an increase of over 15 per cent compared to figures before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ski resorts of Whiteface Mountain and Gore Mountain are among the ORDA’s venues as well as the Olympic Center, Mount van Hoevenberg and Olympic Jumping Complex, all used during the this year's Winter World University Games in the village.

The record figures come after New York State invested more than $550 million (£444 million/€507 million) to revamp the sporting infrastructure in Lake Placid that held the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.

Lake Placid staged its first FIS Ski Jumping World Cup since 1990 in February ©Getty Images
Lake Placid staged its first FIS Ski Jumping World Cup since 1990 in February ©Getty Images

As part of the six-year capital investment, $104 million (£83.8 million/€95.6 million) was used to modernise the Olympic Center.

Mount van Hoevenberg also received a $74 million (£60 million/€68 million) upgrade that included the creation of the Mountain Pass Lodge - a three-storey building featuring dining areas, gifts shops, meeting rooms and space for a media centre.

Other investments include the improvement of ski lifts and snowmaking machines at Whiteface Mountain and Gore Mountain and the regeneration of the Olympic Jumping Complex which staged its first International Ski and Snowboard Federation Ski Jumping World Cup event in 33 years in February.

"The Olympic venues at Mount van Hoevenberg and at the ski jumps were very limited in what they could do for the summer," said Mike Pratt, President and chief executive of ORDA in a report by New York radio station WXXI News.

"As we were modernising, we made them year-round facilities.

"These improvements have allowed USA Bobsled and Skeleton to train in the summertime as well as the wintertime.

"The ski jumps are the only certified venue in North America for summer and winter training and events."

The Olympic Center was among ORDA's venues that received upgrades in time for the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Winter World University Games ©ITG
The Olympic Center was among ORDA's venues that received upgrades in time for the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Winter World University Games ©ITG

It was not only elite athletes who benefitted from the improvements.

"And then for the consumer, for the recreational adrenaline junkies, we’ve put in zip lines that parallel the ski jumps and a mountain coaster that follows the alignment of the 1980 bobsled track," said Pratt. 

"The Olympic Center’s just turned out to be spectacular and the new museum is great.

"But I think what’s really been reinforced with all our modernisation efforts is what we did was appropriate.

"We didn’t install a bunch of neon and bells and whistles.

"We installed really solid, efficient infrastructure that’s going to allow us to benefit from this opportunity for decades to come."