Progress was being made on upgrades to the Olympic Speedskating Oval in Lake Placid, seen Wednesday, June 9. The state Olympic Regional Development Authority contracted with a construction company to replace the old refrigeration system beneath the Oval as part of a major renovation of the Olympic Center complex ahead of the 2023 Winter World University Games. New York state has given ORDA hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade Olympic venues for the University Games. (Enterprise photo — Elizabeth Izzo)

LAKE PLACID — Planning for the 2023 Winter World University Games continues.

Ashley Walden, director of the Adirondack Sports Council and a retired luge Olympian, and Chris Carroll, head of marketing, communications and sponsorships for the games, briefed the North Elba Town Council last week on some of the updates surrounding planning for the games. They spoke about the number of volunteers that will be needed to staff the events, when marketing of the games will really kick off, their plans for keeping the community up to date on the planning progress, and the creation of a sports commentator training program for college students. Carroll also mentioned that they’d like to see the Olympic cauldron refurbished for use during the games.

“We think it would be a great investment,” he said.

Walden told the town council during a work session on July 6 that 1,500 volunteers will be needed for the games between the different areas hosting events. There is expected to be competition — and athlete villages — in Lake Placid, Potsdam and Canton. North Creek will also host events, and some athletes may be housed in hotels there, too.

The sports council posted a few new paid jobs last week, which can be found at adksc.org under the “Careers” tab. A new sports commentator training program for college students ahead of the games, which will allow students to gain credits, is expected to launch next year.

Carroll said a marketing push will start 16 months ahead of the games.

“We think the timing will be great on that,” he said.

The games themselves will be broadcast to a worldwide audience of 350 million people, Carroll noted.

Walden said the sports council is currently planning another “town hall” style public meeting to update the community on the games.