(Photo credit: Seth Harrison)

A committee exploring the possibility of bringing the 2042 Winter Olympics to New York City and Lake Placid held its first meeting on Monday.

Announced in June by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, the 88-member panel is evaluating the feasibility of bringing the global competition back to the state for the first time since 1980.

The committee met at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan, where the agenda included feedback from the Milano Cortina Games in 2026 and a discussion of Lake Placid's and New York's experience hosting previous major events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

'New York is an Olympic state. We have the history, we have the venues, and we have a passion for sports that's second to none,' Hochul said. 'Today, I've assembled a team of the best and the brightest in sports, government, business and community leadership from all corners of the state to ensure we are in the best position possible to build a roadmap to bring the Olympic flame back to New York.'

Also Monday, Hochul announced $2.5 million in state funding to create permanent tributes in Lake Placid to honor the 1980 U.S. men's ice hockey team of 'Miracle on Ice' fame and five-time gold medal-winning speed skater Eric Heiden.

The exploratory committee is made up of an eight-member leadership group and subcommittees for legal issues (12 members), financing (16 members), game operations (16 members) and community engagement (18 members), plus 18 senior advisers.

Notable members from the sports world include New York Islanders co-owner John Collins, New York Yankees president Randy Levine and Laura Pegula, a minority owner of the Buffalo Bills.

The exploratory process is expected to take approximately one year.

Lake Placid also hosted the Winter Games in 1932.

France is already locked in to host the Winter Games in 2030, followed by Salt Lake City in 2034. Switzerland is the front-runner for the 2038 competition.

--Field Level Media