FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 09/16/2022
CONTACT: Jon Lundin, Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games Head of Communications & Media ([email protected]) Tel: 518-637-6885
Arrival Ceremony for the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games’ Carbon-Free Torch Scheduled for September 22 in New York City
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Less than four months before the start of the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games, a delegation from the Adirondack Sports Council (ADKSC) and New York State is traveling to Torino, Italy, today, Friday, to collect the symbolic flame bound for Lake Placid and the Opening Ceremony on Jan. 12, 2023.
“The lighting of the flame at the birthplace of University sport is an exciting moment,” said Ashley Walden, ADKSC executive director, the Organizing Committee for the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games. “Much like an athlete’s journey to Lake Placid, it symbolizes the energy and endurance that it takes to compete at this level.”
The Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games, set for Jan. 12-22, is a competition and educational festival expected to draw more than 2,500 collegiate-athletes and delegates from some 600 universities across 50 countries. The competition consists of 12 winter sports contested throughout New York’s Adirondack region, including Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, North Creek, Canton and Potsdam.
The delegation – comprised of Host Partner representatives from ADKSC, New York State, and the Village of Lake Placid – will participate in the ceremonial lighting of the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games’ Flame. The event will also include FISU officials, the U.S. consulate of Italy, and representatives from the University of Torino. The ceremony will represent a departure from the traditional oil- or gas-fueled flame. In keeping with the Games’ mission of sustainability and commitment to reducing the carbon footprint, the 1959 FISU flame will undergo a symbolic transformation to a battery-powered LED display torch which represents the spirit of competition, power of athleticism and the strength that sport brings to the world’s young people.
Following the ceremony, the delegation will escort the symbolic flame back to the U.S. for an arrival ceremony in New York City on Thursday, Sept. 22, which coincides with New York City’s Climate Week. Over the coming months, it will make numerous ceremonial stops in and around New York State, culminating in the dramatic and carbon-free lighting of the Lake Placid FISU Games Opening Ceremony cauldron.
The 22-inch-long torch was created and built by Adirondack Studios of Argyle, N.Y., the same business that built the award podiums for the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. The custom-made torch consists of elongated steel, encasing a glacial-blue body topped by recycled crystalline glass, representing an artistic interpretation of ice and water.
“The torch is an example of our commitment to host the greenest and most sustainable Games in FISU history and work as one to save winter and the sports that we love,” said Walden.
Fans can follow the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with @lakeplacid2023 and #lakeplacid2023.
For more information about the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games or to purchase tickets, visit www.lakeplacid2023.com.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Applications are now being accepted for working media accreditation and hotel rooms for the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games. To apply for media accreditation, click HERE. To download the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games media guide click HERE, the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games media services guide is available HERE.
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