Lake Placid Olympic Museum elected to Olympic Museums Network

1 Nov 2021 – The Lake Placid Olympic Museum, which commemorates the Olympic Winter Games of 1932 and 1980, has joined the global Olympic Museums Network (OMN) ahead of a major refurbishment and reopening in 2022.

The Lake Placid Olympic Museum was elected to the Olympic Museums Network during the 16^th General Assembly of the OMN, held virtually recently.

During the General Assembly, Lake Placid Olympic Museum Director Alison Haas presented the Museum’s objectives and plans to 56 OMN members representing 31 countries before the vote.

“The first steps towards the creation of the Lake Placid Olympic Museum were taken in 1974, when community members created a collection of Olympic-related material in anticipation of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games that were awarded to Lake Placid,” said Haas.

Following the Games in 1980, the museum opened to the public, and since then has run a series of community-based programmes and workshops for New York State public, and private school students, in addition to presenting the collections of torches, medals, uniforms, equipment and other heritage items related to the Olympic Games. By 2011, the museum’s collection had grown to represent more than the two Games held in Lake Placid.

The Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH) Director and OMN Chair Angelita Teo said: “Having the Lake Placid Olympic Museum on board is a great source of excitement. I send my best wishes to the managing and operating teams for the realisation of the tremendous project of renovation.”

The OMN was founded in 2006 at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, and today is a 32-member multi-national organisation that creates a unique, integrated platform to promote Olympism and the values of sport and the Olympic Games. The members of the network share best practices, co-develop meaningful programmes, and cooperate on common issues to improve efficiencies related to the acquisition, curation, conservation and restoration of Olympic heritage items.

Sitting adjacent to the location of the “Miracle On Ice”, the Lake Placid Olympic Museum will include multi-media exhibits and memorabilia displays that will transport visitors into the iconic past of the region, celebrating the sporting culture and Olympic legacy of Lake Placid.