The New York Village, twice a host of the Winter Olympic Games in 1932 and 1980, is in the running to stage the student extravaganza in five years' time.

Facilities can be improved thanks to $62.5 million (£45 million/€51 million) of capital funding which has been included in the budget of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Senator Betty Little told the Adirondack Daily Enterprise that the 1980 Olympic venues would be in line for upgrade work.

This could include facillities for biathlon, skating and ski jumping.

Little said the Winter Universiade, which Lake Placid hosted previously in 1972, would be "one down from the Olympics".

"We can show the Universiade Committee that we have the funds to do what we need," the Republican told the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

In August, a Lake Placid delegation presented their plans for 2023 during the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei.

Their visiting party featured several high ranking officials from New York, including Little.

A total of 10 representatives from Lake Placid also took part in an observer programme held at the 2017 Winter Universiade in Kazakh city Almaty.

Should the bid succeed, New York would host the Universiade for the third time.

The state also held the summer version of the event in Buffalo in 1993.

Lake Placid has been a consistent host of World Cup and World Championship competitions for several winter sports.

It is due to host the 2021 International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Championships and the winter edition of the International Children’s Games will also be held there in 2019.

This month, the International University Sports Federation claimed that the application process for the 2021 and 2023 Summer Universiades, and the 2023 Winter Universiade, has received "strong interest from cities from all around the world".