Editing 1980 Winter Olympics (section)

== Organization ==
=== Organizing Committee ===
The Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee (LPOOC) was established as a [[not-for-profit corporation]] in December 1974. Its board of directors was made up of 48 people, with a 13-member executive board. Ron MacKenzie, who was instrumental in developing the region and securing the Games, was the chair of the organizing committee when it was founded. He died in December 1978, fourteen months before the start of the Games.<ref>{{harvsp|Lewi|1980|p=7}}</ref> J. Bernard Fell was the chairman of the board of directors and [[Art Devlin (ski jumper)|Art Devlin]] was the vice-chairman.<ref>{{harvsp|Lewi|1980|pp=8–11}}</ref><ref>{{harvsp|Lewi|1980|p=216}}</ref> The LPOOC's vision for the Games was a simple Games that would return to the basics of the Olympic movement.<ref name = "Wilson p. 374"/>

=== Finances ===
The budget for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games grew from an initial projection of US$30 million,<ref name = "Wilson p. 374"/> to a total of {{currency|168.7|USD}} million. The cost of the games was financed by three parties, the Federal government ($82.7 million), the State of New York ($32.4 million), and the organizing committee ($53.6 million).<ref name = "Lewi p. 220-221">{{harvsp|Lewi|1980|pp=220–221}}</ref> In the 2016 study of cost overruns at Olympic Games at Oxford University, researchers found the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games had the largest cost overruns of any Winter Games at 324 per cent above the planned cost.<ref name = "Oxford2016p13">{{harvsp|Flyvbjerg|Stewart|Budzier|2016|p=13}}</ref> The budget overruns were attributed to environmental protection measures, additional work undertaken to modernize existing facilities, overly optimistic cost estimates, and inflation.<ref>{{harvsp|Grün|2004|pp=170–171}}</ref> The Games ended with a deficit of $8.5 million. After a request for funds and the authorities' refusal, the organizing committee saw no other option but to declare bankruptcy, but in January 1981 the Governor of New York announced that the remaining deficit would be paid by New York State.<ref name="Lewi p. 220-221"/>

The construction was financed by the Federal government and the State of New York at a total cost of $92 million<ref name = "Lewi p. 144-145">{{harvsp|Lewi|1980|pp=144–145}}</ref> including $22.7 million for the Olympic Village, $16.9 million for the [[Herb Brooks Arena|Olympic Center]], more than $15 million for the alpine ski center of [[Whiteface Mountain]], $7.9 million for the facilities of Mont Van Hoevenberg (cross-country skiing, bobsleigh and biathlon), $5.4 million for the [[Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex|ski jumps]] and $5.3 million for the bobsled run. Additional costs included transport improvements totaling $4.8 million, the extension of the electricity and hydroelectric network at $2.7 million, and construction for the headquarters of the [[New York State Police]] at $3.8 million. In addition, $8 million was allocated for security costs. The expenses of the organizing committee were mainly administrative totaling $48.1 million, and for press and broadcasting centers.<ref>{{harvsp|Lewi|1980|p=27}}</ref><ref name = "Lewi p.166-170"/><ref name="Lewi p. 220-221"/>

The increasing costs for the Games and charges of nepotism and mismanagement resulted in a federal auditor investigating the LPOOC.<ref name = "Wilson p. 374"/> Public questions regarding accounting practices and contract awards resulted in the LPOOC's marketing director to be replaced.<ref name = "Wilson p. 375">{{harvsp|Wilson|2004|p=375}}</ref> Further scrutiny came when another director was asked to resign when it became public they had not filed income taxes for a number of years.<ref name = "Wilson p. 375"/> The company awarded the food management contract for the Games came under federal investigation for associations with organized crime.<ref name = "Wilson p. 375"/>

Revenue for the LPOOC came primarily from sponsorship contracts signed with more than 200 companies totaling around $30 million in cash, goods or services, and from the sale of broadcasting rights totaling $21 million and included $8 million donated to the IOC.<ref>{{harvsp|Lewi|1980|pp=122–124}}</ref>

Around 550,000 tickets were distributed for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. Ticket distribution to the public included different regions of the United States (65.8%), Canada (6%) and other countries (8.2%). The remainder was distributed among sponsors and suppliers (8.7%), the US Olympic committee, the organizing committee, authorities, donors and authorized companies (10.1%) or kept in reserve (1.2%). The public prices for tickets ranged from $15 to $70.<ref>{{harvsp|Lewi|1980|pp=137–138}}</ref>

=== Security ===
Security for the Lake Placid Winter Games was provided by the New York State Police and 26 other agencies including the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]. The organizing committee also hired the private security company [[Pinkerton National Detective Agency]]. The security headquarters were located at [[Ray Brook, New York|Ray Brook]], which also was the site of the Olympic Village. Police officers were trained in hostage negotiation techniques and various sensors were installed to detect any terrorist attack. A four-meter double barrier was erected surrounding the Olympic Village.<ref name = "Lewi p.166-170">{{harvsp|Lewi|1980|pp=166–170}}</ref>

=== Transportation ===
The Lake Placid Winter Games were plagued with transportation problems complicating the planning and operations of the Games. The small mountain community did not have the accommodations or resources to handle the expected 50,000 spectators each day.<ref name = "Wilson p. 374"/> Most of the accommodations within the community were reserved for Games officials and athletes' families, meaning spectators commuted as much as {{convert|90|mi|spell=in}} daily to attend events.<ref name = "Wilson p. 374"/> Anticipating these challenges, the LPOOC prohibited private cars from entering Lake Placid for the duration of the Games. Instead the LPOOC provided car parks and a shuttle system to transport spectators to the competition venues, and hired 60 taxis and 300 coaches, instead of the 450 initially planned, to be available to athletes, coaches, officials and VIPs.<ref name = "Lewi p.148-155">{{harvsp|Lewi|1980|pp=148–155}}</ref>

The first evidence that the Games would be plagued with transportation issues came a year earlier, at the pre-Olympic ski jumping competition in February 1979, which saw spectators create an {{convert|11|mi|adj=on|spell=in}} traffic jam.<ref name = "Wilson p. 374"/> Once the Games started, the inadequate transportation planning was evident quickly as American and Soviet athletes arrived late for the opening ceremony.<ref name = "Wilson p. 374"/> Throughout the Games, the main street of Lake Placid was often blocked by traffic jams, and journalists, spectators and athletes found long waits at bus stops. Spectators were often left stranded either missing events or unable to return home from events.<ref name = "Wilson p. 374"/> After five days, [[Governor of New York|Governor]] [[Hugh Carey]] declared a partial [[state of emergency]] to address the issues.<ref name = "Wilson p. 374"/><ref name=onamaorg>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=65YzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1OEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6897%2C5162558 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=wire service reports |title=The only amateurs at Lake Placid are the organizers |date=February 18, 1980 |page=4B}}</ref>

The LPOOC attributed the transportation challenges, among other things, to the lack of communication with transport companies and the [[Government of New York (state)|state government]].<ref name = "Lewi p.148-155"/><ref name = "mogore">{{harvsp|Mogore|1989|pp=158–159}}</ref>

=== Visual identity ===
The [[Olympic emblem|Emblem]] of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games contains several [[symbol]]s. The right part is reminiscent of the mountains surrounding Lake Placid and the left part is a stylized [[Ionic Order|Ionic Column]] that refers to [[Ancient Olympics]]. The indentation at the top of the column represents two basins which symbolize the two editions of the Games organized in Lake Placid. On the Games poster, the Olympic rings overhang this emblem.