2023 FISU World University Games to set standard in environmental sustainability

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — When Lake Placid and the surrounding Adirondack communities host the 2023 FISU World University Games on Jan. 12-22, it will set a new standard for the FISU Games in environmental sustainability. For the first time in an international collegiate multisport event, sustainability will be a major theme and provide a model for future FISU Games.

“Everyone who lives, plays, and works in a winter community knows that our climate is warming, and we’re going to lose winter if we don’t do something,” said Ashley Walden, Executive Director of the Adirondack Sports Council, the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games’ Organizing Committee. “The Save Winter campaign will help students and people everywhere positively engage in this important, challenging work to reduce carbon and save winter.”

The FISU World University Games is the world’s largest international winter multisport event for collegiate athletes ages 17-25. The 11-day Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games is expected to attract as many as 1,500 athletes from over 50 countries and 600 universities, competing in 12 winter sports and 86 medal events. Besides Lake Placid, events will be spread throughout the Adirondack region, including Saranac Lake, North Creek, Wilmington, Canton, and Potsdam.

Through Save Winter, powered by Hydro-Quebec and supported by ESPN, Karbon, and Microplus, the theme for both the FISU World Conference and sustainability initiatives throughout the FISU Games, the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games plan to conduct an eco-friendly event that involves spectators, volunteers, officials, and athletes. Save Winter is designed to link the environment with every aspect of the competition.

Walden said that with the motto, “Together We Can — Save Winter,” the initiative plans to provide climate action education; reduce and mitigate the event’s carbon footprint; minimize waste to landfill; encourage responsible sourcing; and leave a legacy of awareness for future sporting events in the Adirondack region, New York State, and beyond.

As part of the commitment to Save Winter, competitions will be held at venues that have shown a commitment to sustainability and combatting climate change impacts to winter activities. The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), one of the Host Partners for the Games and the operator of the venues where most of the Games competitions will be held, has utilized investments by the State of New York to rebuild and modernize the venues once used for the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games and mitigate climate change impacts to winter activities. ORDA’s upgraded infrastructure includes high efficiency snowmaking, hybrid snow groomers and electric Zambonis, LED technology, new cooling systems and industrial refrigeration improvements, salt use reduction, solar arrays, and more.

The largest solar array in the United States dedicated to a ski area is located at Gore Mountain in North Creek, where the Snowboard and Freestyle events will take place. There are also over 12 acres of solar panels that support power at Whiteface Mountain, the site for January’s Alpine events.

Walden also notes that other venues, such as Clarkson’s Cheel Arena in Potsdam, the site of the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games’ Men’s Ice hockey pre-medal competitions, have also taken steps to implement best practices with an electric Zamboni. The building’s 2019 remodel improved efficiency in ice-making and sustainable refrigeration.

As the event approaches and tickets are sold, spectators, volunteers, and athletes are encouraged to bring their own water bottles, with bulk water dispensers replacing single-use plastics in lounges and dining areas, as well as in public spaces. Organizers will request that vendors provide sustainably-sourced items like reusable hot cups and reusable water bottles as merchandise.

The FISU World Conference, held during the first week of the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games, will feature speakers such as Bill McKibben, author, activist, and environmentalist, as well as athlete-advocates and leading environmental researchers and authors from universities around the world. These experts will speak on a wide range of topics themed on the intersection of climate change and winter sports including alternative energy, farming, forestry, food activism, the science of ice and snow, and diversity in the outdoors.

Other educational programs will include the Save Winter Film Festival, Save Winter Podcast, and outreach in regional elementary schools. The Save Winter Eco Challenge, found at www.lakeplacid2023.com/save-winter/, details how fans of winter and winter sports can pitch in to help reduce their impact on the environment.

“The Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games are a perfect opportunity to model the change we hope to see in large-scale sporting events,” said Karlan Jessen, Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games’ Head of Sustainability and Legacy. “Our efforts will set a new standard for future FISU events and demonstrate our commitment that Together We Can —Save Winter.”

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