The relay is part of a 15-stop tour that culminates in the FISU Games’ first carbon-free cauldron lighting in Lake Placid. The cauldron lighting will open the 31st FISU World University Games Winter Edition on Thursday, Jan. 12.

The torch relay celebration, which is powered by Hydro-Quebec, will be welcomed by students, local officials and dignitaries, along with Games mascot Adirondack Mac in special ceremonies at each site.

On Tuesday, Jan. 10, the torch relay planned stops in the Warren County: SUNY Adirondack Community College, town of Queensbury; and Gore Mountain base lodge, North Creek.

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Jan. 11 schedule

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8:45 a.m. – Arrival of the torch at Roostercomb Trailhead parking lot. 9 a.m. – ceremony at Keene Central School, 33 Market St., Keene Valley.

11:45 a.m. – Torch arrives at Paul Smith’s College campus main entrance, 7777 NY 30, Paul Smiths, run to Saunders Sports Complex, then run to student center porch (covered) for 12-12:30 p.m. ceremony. In case of inclement weather, event will take place inside the Saunders Sports Complex.

3 p.m. – The Wild Center, 45 Museum Dr., Tupper Lake.

Dignitaries and torchbearers on Jan. 11 include: Keene — Keene Central School student-athletes, 2018 Olympian Tommy Biesemeyer, town of Keene Supervisor Joe Pete Wilson and Keene Central School Principal Bob Woughter; Paul Smith’s College — Interim President Dan Kelting, and student-athletes Aidan Ripp, Dolcie Tanguay and Timothy Ziegler; The Wild Center — state Sen. Dan Stec.

During the Games, Paul Smith’s College will serve as an Athletes Village for competitors in biathlon, Nordic combined, ski jumping and cross-country skiing.

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Jan. 12 schedule

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9 a.m. – Preston Memorial Field, Springfield Road, Wilmington.

11 a.m. – Start at Saranac Lake Police Department, 1 Main St., Saranac Lake. Torch relay will proceed to 11:30 a.m. ceremony at Saranac Lake Civic Center, 213 Ampersand Ave.

1:30 p.m. – Start at Olympic Jumping Complex, 5486 Cascade Road, Lake Placid. Torch relay travels to 2 p.m. hot chocolate party at Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, 2559 Main St., then to 2:30 p.m. ceremony at 1932 Jack Shea Arena in the Olympic Center, 2634 Main Street.

The relay will then conclude with the lighting of the cauldron in Brewster Park at the intersection of Main Street and Saranac Avenue.

Dignitaries and torchbearers on Jan. 12 include: Saranac Lake – Olympian Andrea Kilbourne-Hill, Jordanna Mallach (town of Harrietstown supervisor), Jimmy Williams (village of Saranac Lake mayor), Kellie Krake (Lake Placid 2023), and St. Bernard’s School students; Lake Placid – North Country School and Lake Placid Central School students, FISU, Hydro-Quebec and Lake Placid 2023 dignitaries, and village, town, county and state officials.

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The Games, the flame

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The Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games, an 11-day competition and educational festival, will feature 1,443 collegiate-athletes, ages 17-25, from more than 540 universities across 46 countries. The competition consists of 12 winter sports contested throughout northern New York, including Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, North Creek, Canton and Potsdam.

For the first time the FISU flame is being carried in a sustainable torch, with no actual combustion or flame present. Instead, in keeping with the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games’ mission of sustainability as part of its Save Winter campaign, LED lights in the torch produce a brightly illuminated FISU Flame in a carbon-free presentation.

Powered by Hydro-Quebec and supported by ESPN, Karbon, Microplus and Panasonic, Save Winter is a movement designed to unite all who love winter to work together on the mission to save “the season of snow.” These Games are the first in FISU history to make sustainability a major emphasis and provide a model for future FISU Games.

The 22-inch-long torch was created and built by Adirondack Studios of Argyle, New York, the same studio that built the award podiums for the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. The custom-made torch consists of elongated steel encasing a glacial-blue body, representing an artistic interpretation of ice and water.

For more information about the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games or to purchase tickets, visit www.lakeplacid2023.com.