The Paris Olympics are behind us, and now the focus is shifting to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy. But there’s a little hiccup brewing: the sliding sports: things like bobsled, luge, and skeleton might not be held in Italy after all. The track is still being rebuilt, and it hasn’t been used in nearly 20 years. They’ve planned a test run for March 2025, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty about whether it’ll be ready in time. But, it seems the Olympic Association might take a massive step. If the track won’t be ready, Lake Placid, New York, is on standby as the backup plan.

This isn’t just some random backup, it’s becoming a real possibility. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already named Lake Placid as the alternative for sliding sports if Italy’s track isn’t up to snuff. Before, Lake Placid has been the venue for two Winter Olympics events – 1932 and 1980 – and as such the village is rather familiar with the feeling of being in the international spotlight.

And here’s where it gets interesting: Clearly, NBC, which has a huge $7.75 billion media rights deal with the IOC until 2032 would greatly appreciate hosting these sledding events in Lake Placid. Why? It will be perfect to be launched on primetime TV in the US as most events of the Winter Olympics happen in the daytime. This would be a big plus for NBC because the sledding events will be done during the night.

However, given how many people get excited about sliding sports, this time around the IOC is focused on ensuring NBC gets those primetime shows. Still, the organizers can claim that there is no indication that the Italian track will not be prepared. But the fact is that Lake Placid is already in the second plan, which indicates the readiness and goodwill of the IOC, just in case.

Italy has already spent $90 million to renovate the track and, as we get closer to March 2025, things may look quite different. If the result is satisfied with the test run, then Italy will retain the events but if not, Lake Placid is standing by, waiting to help coordinate everything to get it back on track for NBC’s timeline.

But then with every speculation regarding NBC’s coverage throughout the Paris Olympics, such as some of the grievances about how they managed matters, those complaints may resurface and cause more trouble in 2026.

NBC’s criticized coverage of the Paris Olympic

Do you remember surfing during the Paris Olympics, which was conducted in Tahiti, not in Paris? It wasn’t just because of pollution, but it was more of an effort to make sure that NBC had to transmit this event at a convenient prime time for U.S. viewers.

However, NBC received a lot of flak during the Paris Olympics, especially related to the marketing aspect and the kind of programs that were broadcast. For example, the network even offered the Olympics as a means of airing its own shows, such as a movie version of Wicked, which was considered invasive to Olympic viewing.

Apart from that, NBC’s coverage was criticized for excessive reliance on celebrity sightings and on Team USA at times to the detriment of the international perspective of the Games. When celebrities such as Snoop Dogg and LeBron James were interviewed, these appearances seemed contrived and out of place; when constant advertisement and product placement dominated the broadcast, the event, therefore, began to resemble a sale, rather than honoring athleticism.

Some didn’t feel that ‘NBC’s presentation was commercialized enough and too U.S.-centric coverage adding that there was too much emphasis on advertising and not enough quality or balanced coverage.  So, what’s next? Well, with NBC set to cover the 2026 Winter Olympics, only time will tell if they get it right.