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2020: Happy Anniversary(ies), dear Olympic Cities!
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 Lake Placid and Vancouver have just opened up the 2020 Celebrations series!
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2020 is not only a rich Olympic year, with the Lausanne and Tokyo Games. It is also a key moment in terms of Games anniversaries. This month, Lake Placid blew out the 40 candles on its second Games' birthday cake. Vancouver celebrated the 10th anniversary of its own ones. Celebrations offer the occasion to look back and remember collective emotion as well as individual memories. And this is always nice! But celebrations are also a great opportunity to look at the present and take stock of the legacy of the Games. Both Lake Placid and Vancouver stressed the substantive legacy generated by the Games and how it can be seen not only as a reference but as a generator of change years after the Games. And last but not least, anniversary celebrations are meaningful as they push all of us to look forward, to prepare the future, to initiate the young generations!
Antwerp is ready to launch the 100th anniversary; Sydney has an opportunity to connect its celebrations with the Tokyo 2020 Games; Squaw Valley is about to showcase its "Olympic firsts"; Tallinn, site of the 1980 Summer Games' sailing competition, will host the Electric Water Marathon and celebrate the Olympic Regatta's anniversary; Moscow and Roma may also want to mark the event.
We wish all Olympic Cities successful celebrations and meaningful legacy!
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 On the spot
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Interview with
Craig Randall
Mayor of Lake Placid
Executive Committee Member of the World Union of Olympic Cities
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Lake Placid set up a wonderful and rich programme to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1980 Olympic Games! You have hosted a full set of activities and events, from exhibitions to sports initiations, from 80’s fun parties to the torch run and the athletes’ forum! Why is this Olympic marker so important?
Lake Placid’s long association with the Olympic Winter Games includes celebrations of landmark anniversaries commemorating both the 1932 and the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. This year’s programme to observe the 40th anniversary of the 1980 Olympic Games placed special emphasis on engaging the entire Lake Placid community and its spirit of Olympism.
How did you make the link past-present-future tangible during these celebrations?
The Olympic cauldron was re-lit at its original 1980 venue thereby setting the stage for celebrations as past Olympians from all disciplines were welcomed throughout a 14-day period. A milestone reunion of the United States’ 1980 figure-skating team was followed by a gala skating show featuring past, current and future Olympians. Anniversary activities took place at all Olympic venues and featured opportunities to not simply view a discipline but also to participate in it. Retired, current and aspiring Olympic athletes were eager participants in panel discussions, “meet & greet” events, educational forums, exhibitions etc. All were thrilled to have the opportunity to share their experiences and their aspirations with Lake Placid’s citizens and visitors to the city. The accessibility and inclusiveness of the anniversary’s events made the “past-present-future” link tangible to all.
“ Come to the town where the legacy lives on” is the motto of the celebrations. The whole city and its citizens live Olympism, breath Olympism and contribute to Olympism. Lake Placid embodies what a living legacy is, on a daily basis. Celebrations just allow more people to participate and showcase the City and its glorious history. Lake Placid t is also very well-known for the engagement of its volunteer community. How do you explain the engagement of the population towards its Olympic legacy, not only for special events but also as a “way of life”?
Sports on ice and snow are a “way of life” for the people of Lake Placid and blending sport into the fabric of everyday life takes place without thought. Lake Placid’s uniqueness as a “small mountain community” (from J. Bernard Fell’s remarks at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games’ opening ceremonies) makes it easy and natural to feel connected to an ongoing Olympic legacy as an athlete, a coach, a volunteer or simply as one who embraces the Olympic ideal.
Lake Placid breeds Olympians! How do you manage to maintain a high level winter sports training centre and to permanently upgrade venues and facilities?
It is important to acknowledge that New York State’s commitment to maintain the 1980 Olympic Winter Games’ venues at international standards and to provide expert management of these same venues through its Olympic Regional Development Authority contribute significantly to Lake Placid’s success in attracting the combined resources of private and additional public sector investment. These factors complemented by the location of the USOPC’s Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid ensure that our city’s legacy within the Olympic movement remains current and vibrant.
Lake Placid is very active in hosting international events, such as the Children’s Games, or the Winter World University Games. How does these kinds of events contribute to keeping the flame alive and activating the Olympic legacy?
As our city eagerly prepares to host the 2021 IBSF World Championships Bobsleigh and Skeleton and the 2023 FISU World University Games, Lake Placid and its citizens continue to sustain a sense of ownership in the spirit of the Olympic ideal as we explore the feasibility of a bid for the 2028 Youth Olympic Games.
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 Picked up from the Legacy Inspiration Box
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Vancouver's legacy governance model
It is never too early to activate the Olympic Legacy and Vancouver is the perfect example of what can be implemented from the bidding process onwards to ensure building upon not only the event but also the preparation process.
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2010 Legacies Now was created in 2000 as an innovative response to the legacy development challenge faced by Games hosts. A new and bold understanding was born during the Bid Stage for the 2010 Winter Games: what if tangible legacies were identified and developed before the Games even took place, legacies that would benefit not only the host community, but also the host country?
To learn more about Vancouver's legacy governance model and what is has become today, click here!
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 Stay Tuned with the Union
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 On-Going Projects
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Fresh air is blowing on the Union's website, as we are currently updating our main communication tool ! Your contribution is most welcome and you have been or will be shortly contacted to update your Member page as well as the cases in the toolkit, should you have any. Mostly, we will ask you to provide new pictures as well as update texts related to your city. In advance, we thank you very much for helping us in this renewal process!
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 On the Cities & Sport Planet
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LAUSANNE Due to the COVID19 epidemic, Sport Accord will be held in Lausanne, at the Swiss Tech Conference Centre. Dates remain unchanged and the conference will take place from 19 to 24 April 2020.
More information about Sport Accord is available here.
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 Keep an Eye on Olympic Cities
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 What’s going on in your cities?
ANTWERP The Belgian Olympic City will give the kick off of the 100th Anniversary of the 1920 Summer Olympic Games. The programme of the celebrations is now available here. And to enjoy the promotional video of the celebrations that connect past, present and future, click here!
SQUAW VALLEY The Host of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games celebrates this year its 60th anniversary. For the occasion, the Sierra Nevada Olympic and Winter Sport Museum will be hosting an event at Olympic Village Lodge Event Room on Saturday, March 14. It will be an opportunity to hear from local Olympians past and present.
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