Olympic Winter Games have twice been held in nearby Lake Placid, in 1932 and 1980. In both years, Saranac Lakers participated as athletes and volunteers, and certain Saranac Lake facilities were used as support venues.
2010 area Olympians, in front of Harrietstown Town Hall. From left, Mark Grimmette, Lowell Bailey, Haley Johnson, John Napier, Chris Mazdzer, Peter Frenette, Bill Demong 
The Saranac Lake Red Devils, Ed Horton (right), and the Stevens brothers 
Red Devils bobsled team, Charlie Keough, center top
According to The Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT), seventeen Olympians were born in Saranac Lake and many more Olympic hopefuls have called it “home.”
Olympic Athletes born within the Saranac Lake, New York, Central School District include:
Bobsleigh, 1932 (See The Red Devils)
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Four Man, Silver Medal, 1932
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Two-Man, Gold Medal, 1932
Basketball, 1936
Bobsleigh, 1948
Bobsleigh, 1952
Bobsleigh, 1956
Bobsleigh, 1964
Bobsleigh, 1976
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Brent Donald Rushlaw, (also on U.S. Olympic Bobsleigh Team: 1980, 1984, 1988)
Ice Hockey, 2002
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Andrea Kilbourne, Ice Hockey 2002
Nordic Combined, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010
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Bill Demong — 2010 gold medal in Individual Large Hill/10km, silver medal in Team Large Hill/4x5 km
The 2010 Olympic Winter athletes from the Saranac Lake area included:
Information compiled by Dan Sullivan, LMT MPA, of Adirondack Therapeutics Massage Therapy and the Adirondack Massage Cruise, 2/2010.
A number of changes in the region came about due to the Olympics, including major road improvements and the rehabilitation of the old New York Central line from Utica through Saranac Lake to Lake Placid; the original plan was for the railroad to remain open, but it failed by late 1980. In 2000, the Adirondack Scenic Railroad resumed operation during summer tourist months.
