Art Devlin (Photo provided)

LAKE PLACID — Lake Placid Mayor Art Devlin expects to travel to Torino, Italy in January to participate in an altered closing ceremony for this year’s FISU World University Winter Games.

The 2021 games in Lucerne, Switzerland were canceled a few days prior to the opening ceremony due to pandemic-related concerns. Normally, during the games’ closing ceremony, the mayor of the host city hands off the FISU flag to the mayor of the next city — or village — to host the games. The mayor of Lucerne and Devlin will perform a pared-down version of the closing ceremony on Jan. 17 in Torino.

The Adirondack Sports Council, the organizing committee for the 2023 games, will fund the trip for its staff, according to Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games Chief Operating Officer Ashley Walden. She said that members of the state FISU Regional Development Authority board, state representatives and sports council board members are examples of stakeholders who are responsible for paying their own way.

Walden said former Lake Placid Mayor Craig Randall used to pay for all of his trips personally, and that the organizing committee doesn’t expect to pay for Devlin’s way to Torino because it’s considered a personal expense. Devlin said Tuesday that he believes the organizing committee will fund the trip.

Walden said that the organizing committee is still working with FISU on the “run of show” for the altered ceremony. She said that the only information the committee has received so far is a picture of the stage layout in Torino: a small stage in a courtyard at the University of Torino. The committee had videos lined up to play at the closing ceremony in Lucerne, and Walden said those videos will be altered to fit the new setting and will play during the January ceremony.

Walden said that a number of stakeholders, sports council staff and Devlin will make the trip to Italy, though the group isn’t solidified yet. Devlin said the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism CEO Jim McKenna will also attend.

The group will fly out on Jan. 14, arrive in Italy on the 15th, Devlin will participate in the closing ceremony on the 17th, and the group will return on the 18th.

Walden noted that the Torino ceremony is “very early in the works” and that the trip could be canceled or changed at any time as the number of cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus surges globally. The Italian government, FISU and the organizing committee are monitoring the pandemic, she said, and the travel group plans to follow COVID-19 regulations outlined by the city of Torino and the Italian government while visiting.

Devlin said he’s concerned about omicron, but he’s doing his homework for the ceremony. Last weekend, he said he watched about six videos of closing ceremonies on YouTube. He said that the mayors generally wave the flag around for a bit when they receive it.