U.S. World Cup Stop Canceled Due to Unexpected Repairs

The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup event scheduled to take place in Lake Placid this December has been canceled and relocated to Klingenthal, Germany, due to the unexpected need for extensive repairs at the Olympic Jumping Complex.

The event, which was to be the only North American stop on the 2025-2026 World Cup calendar, was originally set for December 13-14. According to the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), a recent inspection revealed damage to the steel supports of the observation deck on the HS128 Large Hill.

While the jump itself remains structurally sound, the necessary repair work will block the pathway athletes use to access the top of the in-run. This is a critical violation of FIS World Cup regulations and has made the venue unusable for the planned competition.

"The Olympic Authority remains fully committed to ski jumping in Lake Placid and to maintaining world-class facilities that meet the highest standards of international competition," said Darcy Norfolk Rowe, ORDA's Communications Director, in a statement. "While relocating this year's World Cup is a difficult but necessary decision, we look forward to completing these improvements and welcoming the world back to future World Cup events after construction."

The repair project is described as complex and is expected to take approximately 15 weeks. The steel structure, a remnant of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, will require extensive scaffolding, similar to that used on a skyscraper, to complete the work safely.

Klingenthal, Germany, which has a long history of hosting World Cup events at its Vogtland Arena, will now host the individual competitions on the same weekend. The move provides a continuity for the international ski jumping circuit, but it is a blow to the Lake Placid community, which has embraced the return of the World Cup since 2023 after a 32-year absence.

This would have been a significant event for athletes, as it was a key opportunity to earn valuable points toward qualification for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Despite the relocation, officials remain confident that Lake Placid will return to the World Cup calendar once the repairs are completed.