More than $550 million (£444 million/€507 million) of New York State investment has been used to revamp the sporting infrastructure in Lake Placid that held the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.

Venues that hosted the Games 43 years ago have been transformed including Mount van Hoevenberg and the Olympic Jumping Complex.

Walden claimed the work has breathed new life into Lake Placid and made it capable of hosting more top events in the future.

"Lake Placid has a long sporting history and this event has brought a tremendous transformation," Walden, a two-time World Luge Championships silver medallist, told insidethegames.

"The ageing venues from the 1980 Winter Olympics were no longer up to the international standings.

"The University Games have been catalyst for all the renovation and that’s the biggest legacy as it keeps this region alive.

"It’s something unique and special and will continue to drive, athletes, events and tourists for decade to comes."

Walden is pleased that by hosting the Winter World University Games has given Lake Placid the opportunity to upgrade its facilities and stage other events.

"The Saranac Lake Civic Center underwent an entire modernisation that they finished a few months ago," she said.

"The Olympic Center has had a ton of modernisations that needed to be done, but the biggest of the constructions was Mount van Hoevenberg.

"They took all of their facilities and combined them to make it multi-use so they have a luge and bobsleigh track, a biathlon range and cross-country trails."

Lake Placid is set to stage the first International Ski and Snowboard Federation Ski Jumping World Cup in North America in 21 years when it plays host next month.

The village is also due to hold the World Synchronized Skating Championships in March and has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2025 International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Championships.

Mike Pratt, President and chief executive of the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) which was in charge of the revamp of all the venue, claimed Lake Placid’s sporting facilities were "in demand".

"It’s a thrill to have these venues that are capable of hosting the top competitions in the world and we have got a very robust events calendar coming up," said Pratt.

Pratt conceded that construction projects were hit by "supply chain issues" but insisted that ORDA was able to "manage the budget".

"It was a once-in-a-generation opportunity and I think we have chosen to be appropriate and functional and we are seeing the benefits and meeting the expectations of the guests," he said.

Walden admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic had slowed the pace of preparations for Lake Placid 2023.

"It has definitely been a challenge," she said.

"It’s a very small town with a small population and limited resources when it comes to hotel rooms and transport.

"It is also about two hours from the nearest airport so there are a lot of additional challenges to overcome just to make sure that the travel was smooth and all the pieces were in place when  the athletes came here.

"That was difficult especially during the pandemic when traffic was really restricted.

"We worked very closely with FISU so not having inspection visits and in-person meetings was hard, it definitely slowed down the pace of things.

"There were a lot of unknowns that we had to overcome so it’s very special to be here knowing that it is coming together."