Olympic track at Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid welcomes world-class lugers

Lake Placid (FIL/USA Luge, 27 June 2023) The American city of Lake Placid will be the first stop of the 2023/2024 EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup of the International Luge Federation (FIL) in December 2023. On December 8 and 9, 2023, the world's best luge athletes will finally return to Mount Van Hoevenberg in New York State.

The event will be co-hosted by the New York State Olympic Authority, which operates the luge track at Mount Van Hoevenberg. The announcement comes after an extensive renovation of the multi-sport facility, which previously hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. 

“We are thrilled to kick-off the international luge competition season at home,” said USA Luge CEO Jim Leahy. “We’ve had a lot of success on our home track in Lake Placid, and we look forward to welcoming our luge families and fans to upstate New York for our first World Cup competition in more than five years.” 

The national team, which includes all eight members of the Beijing 2022 Olympic team, finished the 2022/2023 season with seven medals and 58 top-ten World Cup finishes, including 11 top-ten finishes at the World Championships in Oberhof. Leading the medal tally was two-time Olympian Emily Sweeney of Lake Placid, who won three World Cup medals in three different events last season and finished fifth overall. 

Lake Placid last competed in the World Cup in 2019, when Sweeney and three-time Olympian Tucker West won silver medals in their individual events. 

The broadcast of the event is supported by New York Empire State Development. 

The event is the first of nine World Cup stops in the upcoming season as part of the EBERSPAECHER series. The FIL World Championships will be held in Altenberg, Germany, at the end of January 2024. 

Details on how to attend the World Cup in Lake Placid and cheer on Team USA will be announced soon at www.usaluge.org. 

For more information on the fastest sport on ice, visit www.usaluge.org.