Abandoned Olympic Venues From Around The World Or Why It’s The Biggest Waste Of Money Ever
The Rio Olympics is the 28th Summer Olympic games. The first one took place in Greece in 1896 and since then the event has been held in 19 different countries.
But do you ever stop and wonder just what happened to all of those huge venues purposely built to host the world's most famous games? Well, take a look at the pictures below and wonder no more, because Bored Panda has compiled a list of abandoned Olympic stadiums and villages from around the world. From Beijing to Berlin, from Athens to Atlanta, these pictures serve to remind us that while the games may be over, the memories live on.
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Bobsleigh Track, Sarajevo, 1984 Winter Olympics
The bobsleigh and luge track at Mount Trebevic, the Mount Igman ski-jumping course and related infrastructure are crumbling more and more with each passing year. But adrenaline, fear and exhilaration are back on the bobsleigh track as downhill bikers Kemal Mulic, Tarik Hadzic and Kamer Kolar train on the graffiti-covered concrete.
Ski Jump Tower, Cortina D'ampezzo, Italy, 1956 Winter Olympics Venue
Interesting fact about these ski jumping towers is that the Swiss jumper, Andreas Dascher introduced a new style of jumping, which would soon come to be known as the Dascher technique. Before these Games, the athletes would hold their arms forward over their heads. Dascher reasoned that if the athlete held his arms at his side he would fly farther. Adherents to this new style dominated the competition.
Bobsled Track, Sarajevo, 1984 Winter Olympics Venue
The disused bobsled track from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics is seen on Mount Trebevic, near Sarajevo, September 19, 2013. Abandoned and left to crumble into oblivion, most of the 1984 Winter Olympic venues in Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo have been reduced to rubble by neglect as much as the 1990s conflict that tore apart the former Yugoslavia.
Olympic Village, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
An abandoned training pool for athletes at the Olympic Village.
Swimming Pool, Berlin, 1936 Summer Olympics Venue
View of the swimming pool in the 1936 Olympic village in Elstal, west of Berlin. The village, which housed over 4.000 athletes for the notorious 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, then under Nazi rule, was used as barracks for the German army shortly afterwards, and from 1945 as barracks for Russian officers, until the Russian army's final withdrawal in 1992.
Ski Jumping Tower, Grenoble, France, 1968 Winter Olympic Games
48 of abandonment and a beautiful view
Olympic Sports Complex, Sarajevo, 1984 Winter Olympics Venue
A graveyard has been established in what was once part of the Olympic Sports Complex in Sarajevo for the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Kayak And Canoeing Venue, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
Olympic Canoe And Kayak Slalom Center, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
View at the Helliniko Olympic complex in 2014.
Well, they're not in a situation where they spend money on maintaining these kind of things
Load More Replies...So much potential for this site, would be a great skate park or go kart track or something
Antonio, you should probably have learned to discern between "Greece" and "Greek Political Parties" already.
If they get the money to do it before it degrades too much further this would make a great water park tourist attraction.
It seems that maybe the wheel doesn't need to be reinvented every 4 years.....with some repair and clean up France, Greece, Japan and others might be able to host future Olympics for far less than a complete new build for each Olympics.
I see an opportunity for a skate park with minimal effort. Not sure about the skating culture in Greece though.
And then there are the places that made good use of the facilities after the Games were over. The olympic swimming pool in Melbourne, built for the 1956 Games, was used as a public swimming pool for many years ( it may still be in use. I dont know, because I no longer live there). The athletes village, built at the same time, was made into public housing after the Games, and is still in use today. The Equestrian complex built especially for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney is used regularly, for both equestrian activities ( training and competition), and well as other activities. I'm sure there are many other countries that make use of the facilities that they invested so much money in.
Oh yeah?! You live in Greece and make such a statement? Probably not, cause if you had lived in Greece you wouldn't be talking like this
Load More Replies...Olympic Mascots Lie Unwanted, Beijing, 2008 Summer Olympics
Nini, left, and Yingying, two of the five mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, are seen lying among trees behind an abandoned, never-completed mall in Beijing. The fallen mascots are a reminder of the high costs of hosting the event. Their derelict state reflects the challenges that China has faced in finding new uses for its Olympic investments, with many venues falling into disrepair and some construction projects left incomplete.
I'm surprised someone didn't take them. Pretty cool. Remind me of Pokémon. lol You think the county would sell off these type of Olympic pieces to reclaim some of their investment.
Beach Volleyball Venue, Beijing, 2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Beijing Olympics venue for the competition lies deserted and unmaintained in central Beijing, April 2, 2012.
Olympic Flag Posts, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
This looks like an art installation. Gorgeous. So sad though how much waste happens after the Olympics leave, never thought of it before this article.
Main Swimming Pool, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
Seats for reporters remain desolate in 2014.
Olympic Village, Berlin, 1936 Summer Olympics Venue
Deserted houses for the athletes in the former Olympic Village for the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.
Barricades Outside The Stadium, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
Soviet Venue, Tallinn, 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics
Old Soviet venue built for the Moscow Olympics in the 1980. Located in Tallinn, Estonia.
Gorgeous picture! I find most of these pictures to be art.
Ski Jump, Sarajevo, 1984 Winter Olympics Venue
A view of the disused ski jump from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics on Mount Igman, near Sarajevo, Sept. 19, 2013. Abandoned and left to crumble into oblivion, most of the in Bosnia's capital Sarajevo have been reduced to rubble by neglect.
Olympic Village, Berlin, 1936 Summer Olympics Venue
The first permanent Olympic village. The athletes were impressed - each house had its own steward and there had never been a swimming pool before at an Olympic village.
Beach Volleyball Centre, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
General view of the Beach Volleyball Olympic Stadium at Faliro Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. Ten years ago the XXVIII Olympiad was held in Athens from the 13th - 29th August with the motto 'Welcome Home'. The cost of hosting the games was estimated to be approx 9 billion euros with the majority of sporting venues built specifically for the games. Due to Greece's economic frailties post Olympic Games there has been no further investment and the majority of the newly constructed stadiums now lie abandoned.
Fountain In Olympic Village, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
The remains of a fountain decorated with the Olympic rings and graffiti-defaced marble blocks dedicated to Greek Olympic medal winners are seen here decapitating in 2012.
Tennis Court, Atlanta, 1996 Summer Olympics Venue
The derelict netting and scoreboard in the background on a tennis court stand at the Stone Mountain Tennis Center, home of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games tennis events, in Stone Mountain, Georgia, July 19, 2016. The permanent tennis facility built in a corner of Stone Mountain Park quickly became a money-loser and now sits idle, weeds growing through the outer courts and the scoreboard in disrepair.
Surely the Walking Dead TV series can take advantage of the ready made dystopian looking sets?
Olympic Baseball Stadium, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
View of derelict stands at the Olympic Baseball Stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece, July 31, 2014. Due to Greece's economic frailties after the Olympic Games, there has been no further investment and the majority of the newly constructed stadiums now lie abandoned.
Diving Pool, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
Water is drained from the diving pool which forms part of the Olympic Aquatic Centre in the 2004 Olympic Games Complex on February 18, 2012 in Athens, Greece.
Bet they could score the worlds smallest splash during training for their next Olympics.
Olympic Stadium Train Stop, Munich, 1972 Summer Olympics
Pool, Berlin, 1936 Summer Olympics Venue
A deserted pool used during the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.
Training Pool, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
Olympic Stadium, Atlanta, 1996 Summer Olympics Venue
The Olympic Caldron can be seen in the foreground, as explosive charges weaken the Fulton County Stadium, Aug. 2, 1997, in Atlanta. The stadium, home of the Braves from1966-1996, was imploded to make room for a parking.
This is misleading. Turner Field (rear) was the Olympic Stadium...it was converted into the baseball stadium after the Olympics, which was the plan from its original construction.
Kayaking Competition Venue, Beijing, 2008 Summer Olympics
The deserted and unmaintained former venue for the kayaking competition of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, can be seen on the outskirts of Beijing, March 27, 2012. The gigantic infrastructures built for the Beijing Olympics, namely the "Bird's Nest", and the National Aquatics Centre, also known as the "Water Cube", are now used for cultural and sports events, reminding the world of the flare that blazed during the summer of 2008.
Olympic Village, Berlin, 1936 Summer Olympics Venue
The athletes village of the Summer Olympics in Berlin in 1936 was located in Elstal (today part of Wustermark) and was designed by Werner and Walter March. After the war, the Soviet occupation army withdrew an on-site and used it until 1992.
Yes 1936. Let's see, that's. .... 1,2,3,4 ... 80 years ago! *surprised face*
Olympic Rings Monument, Sarajevo, 1984 Winter Olympics Venue
Most of the venues from the 1984 Winter Olympics near Sarajevo, Bosnia have been neglected and nearly reduced to rubble.
Considering that the site of the olympics location was a war zone for many years, most of the buildings were destroyed in one way or another.
Cinema In The Olympic Village, Mexico City, 1968 Summer Olympics
During the Games, the cinema hosted movie nights and other entertainment for the athletes.
Seriously?! There's no excuse to let a movie theater go to waste. I mean, it's not like it's a bobsled run!
Roads With Huge Potholes, Sochi, 2014 Winter Olympics
Lake Tower, Atlanta, 1996 Summer Olympics Venue
The tower at Lake Lanier Olympic Park, home of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games rowing events, stands after being renovated in Gainesville, Georgia, July 19, 2016. This man-made lake still has its rowing facilities, which have been used for major competitions over the last two decades.
I love that this one has been renovated and is still used. Too bad they all haven't!
Softball Stadium, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
After the games the village was used as a worker housing project. Eight years later, when this photo was taken, many of the venues remained abandoned or rarely used.
Taekwondo Stadium, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
The Taekwondo Olympic Stadium at Faliro Olympic Complex.
Olympic Village, Berlin, 1936 Summer Olympics Venue
Mural, Mechanicsville, Atlanta, 1996 Summer Olympics
A mural of a woman running with an Olympic torch-- graces an abandoned building in Mechanicsville, one of Atlanta’s oldest neighborhoods. Neighborhoods such as this one, a few blocks from the former Olympic stadium, experienced the greatest displacement.
What a disgusting waste of money. There are so many lives in this world that could be saved, clothed , fed and homed with this kind of money.
Olympic Games Cauldron, Atlanta, 1996 Summer Olympics Venue
The 1996 Olympic Games cauldron is seen, Aug. 20, 2011 in Atlanta. The cauldron was moved from its original location.
Football Field, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
Olympic Rings, Sarajevo, 1984 Winter Olympics Venue
These pictures are very interesting, but surely not matching the post's title. There is plenty of reason to criticise financial aspects of olympia, but only few of these pictures depict them. Rather, they are coincidental, show consequences of armed conflicts, look a long time back, or even show grasped opportunities. I repeat myself, but less sensationalisn would do Bored Panda well.
I live in ATL and the 1996 games were the greatest thing that ever happened to our city. Decaying areas were refurbished and ATL made the transition from an old Southern town to a beautiful international city. Most of the Olympic venues have been transitioned into other uses and Centennial Olympic Park still remains a jewel in downtown. No complaints here for the Olympics coming to my city!
I am from Sydney we had the 2000 games and still use everything i think... Olympic park is more of a business park now though but the stadiums are still our main stadiums. it all worked out pretty well for us too.. maybe if we held the winter olympics it would go to waste though
Load More Replies...It's unrealistic to think that any city is going to be able to use all Olympic venues on the same scale once the games are over. So long as they re-purpose the land/equipment for some use (even the graveyard), I don't see a problem.
Helsinki has managed to do that quite well, even though they had to repair/rebuilt some places after WWII. (The venues had been built for the 1940 Olympics.) And they did it while many things were still being rationed after the war and the country was paying huge war reparations to the Soviet Union. Finland is also the smallest country and Helsinki the least economically powerful city to ever host the Olympics.
Load More Replies...Sarajevo and Athens and the 1932 Berlin sites are understandable, but the post-Olympics slump is a real issue. The 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, however, did it right. They used existing venues. They only built two new venues -- an aquatic center at the University of Southern California, and a velodrome in Carson, and those are still being used.
Hmm... I'd be interested in seeing how well Calgary is doing at using the facilities built for the 1988 winter olympics. Pretty sure it's sitting around 100% in use.
This is so poetic, it reminds me of the greek ruins. They are like huge art installations and a monument to mankind history.
It is sad to see the Athens facilities went to waste. I live in Calgary and our 1988 olympics facilities are still heavily used
Each host City should look at utilizing each Olympic venue after the games finish as much as they do in planning the whole thing beforehand. Then there would be some great historical memorials in use today. Sydney still makes use of it's venues.
Commenters are screaming "war" to every single Sarajevo one, without realising that the stadiums on Germany might have had the same problem. Just because it was much longer ago, it doesn't make it any less tragic. Also, despite the good intentions, somw people talk about Bosnia as an eternal warzone, which is actually very harmful to the public image of the country, which has been peaceful all these 20 years....
Many places in Germany seem to have been used by the Soviet troops and they don't really care to take care of the places where they are staying. (Speaking from experience.)
Load More Replies...Meanwhile in Australia we still use the majority of our 16-year-old Olympics facilities...... and they're all kept in good condition.
Meanwhile in Finland we still use 64-year-old (and some 76-year-old) Olympic facilities. Some have just been renovated and the Olympic Stadium under renovation at the moment.
Load More Replies...This makes me curious about the flip side of things... I wish there was a photo essay about venues still in use. After all, these pics are from the same handful of countries. Makes me wonder about the dozens of other countries and how they have faired.
Blame this all on the 1936 Nazi Olympics, they are the ones who started all the big venues and spending. and because of this each successive Olympics tries to outdo the previous one. Plus the IOC is a narcissistic organization.
The 2018 Olympics are supposed to be "Green Olympics." But, look what is happening right now in South Korea: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_ancient_korean_forest_1/?fjfqLab&pv=62 Please sign on to save this 500 year old forrest! It is literally being torn down for a 3 day Olympic event! WHY? If you think that these material goods are being wasted -- and I agree with you that they are -- what about one of Nature's Wonders? It cannot be replaced overnight! Sign and share so we can stop this devestation -- PLEASE!
Man some of this stuff is still used and one of your pictures of the supposedly "abandoned" venues was taken BEFORE the games were held! The 2014 winter games yet the picture was taken in 2013! Yea it was real "abandoned." Cmon y'all. There's plenty of places you could have shown but instead you showed the same thing and place multiple times, AND couldn't even get half of them right that they are abandoned! Can't be abandoned if people still use it. You can't possibly suck that bad at your jobs. Seriously. That's just freakin lazy. And if you do suck that bad at your job... call me. I need a new job. I'll do it way better and not be lazy at the same time. AND be accurate in my information! Hit me up! Haha! For real guys this is pitiful.
What? Salt lake city isn't listed here? Oh wait...that's because SLC is the ONLY Olympic games to have a 100% use after the Olympics were over... I understand why many want to have it in one place, but that's not realistic. Instead, part of the application process should outline what the resources will be used for after the games are over. Then we don't have abandoned buildings/wastefulness.
Why do these countries just use these things for other thing .....make affordable housing out of the villages turn the bobsled tracks into mountain biking the kayak course into a sweet skate-park....recycle stuff....i am not saying it is not a waste of money but they could do something it would be better then letting it die
They shouldn't build anything they don't plan to use and incorporate into the cities for the people of that city. The people of the city pay for these buildings and centers via taxes and land usurping. So many poor neighborhoods could be made better with a beautiful pool or parkway. These things can all be designed to serve after the Olympics and if they can't then they should not be built. Rotting bleachers etc or a hazard. This must stop.
There has to be a better way... They basically build a small town and use it a couple of weeks and then all that waste...
I see so much that can be re-cycled in these photos - wood, steel, etc. Prime property was used (some with spectacular views) in most locations which could be repurposed for housing. Such a waste.
I live in Atlanta. A way better story here. A world-class stadium for the Braves, now 20 years old; excellent housing for Ga Tech students, a new (and still used) natatorium at Tech, and other improvements. The velodrome was temporary and removed after the games. As far as I know, we have no abandoned sites.
Cant believe they build these places and then never use them again! Re-purpose them or keep using the sports facilities for kids and young people! Promote the sports, make a tourist attraction out of it! Bad resourcing, no marketing ideas, no innovation ideas!
I really really hate this post. There are lots of examples of well planned olympic venues that are still in good use. Olympics brings people of all countries, races, religions together, like no other human activities. War is BY FAR the biggest waste of money ever, not the olympics. As polite as i can be, given the stupidity of the title of this post (Donald Trump would be proud): f**k off!
They really should plan what to use everything for when the Olympics are over. They could use the Olympic village for housing or something. It's such a waste of resources.
But don't get me wrong, I still love the Olympics.
Load More Replies...I think the time for the Olympics has passed. Time to move on and stop being so wasteful with diminishing resources.
There definitely needs to be a committee that takes care of the aftermath of the Olympics. One that works to re purpose what they can, sell what they can, and demolish whatever is left after. I think they could sell pieces of the structures as souvenirs and generate money to repurpose other structures that are left behind.
It seems like some countries/venues are more wasteful than others (economic failure Greece and war-torn Sarejevo are easy targets). Here in Utah a lot of the Winter Olympics is still up and in use. But we have a strong economy and few battles. . .
Interesting post, now we just need one showing the building that have been repurposed. If I remember correctly China has done some cool things.
Athens is a bad example, taken from a whole country that struggled financially due to government mismanagement, and gone bankrupt, yet it was continually repeated to make a point that the 'Olympics is the biggest waste of money ever'. Take a look at London's 2012 legacy, with a thriving community build around the Olympic Stadium, in a once derelict area. With the (reduced size) stadium itself now the home to a Premier League football club. The Aquatics centre, the Velodrome and the White Water centre are all still very much in use, increasing the countries participation in many new sports. So I would argue, with planning, and vision, the Olympics can hold a healthy and financially fruitful legacy.
I get the whole thing about allowing country's to earn the tourist revenue, that's totally understandable. But the Olympics committee should rethink how they decide to award the event to which country. The Olympics is not just about the best athletes competing against each other, its about uniting countries. They should also insist that anything that is built for the events will be useful after the events are over. Like someone suggested that housing that was built should become a homeless shelter, or low income housing. Or maybe a school. That needs to be part of negotiations that will ensure the profits that the country makes will actually help the people of the area and not just line pockets of officials and leaders of said country.
Why, in modern-media-ages, can't we split things up a bit? Marathon in Greece, Rugby in France, Judo in Japan, and so on... Countries can still contribute if they are not hosting any sport at all... Globalisation of the Olympics and sports 24h/day! Existing facilities can be re-used in this way...
They still use the olympic pool in Beijing; my neice was thrilled to actually swim there a few weeks ago.
Everyone looks to short term pride as opposed to long term benefit. The Olympic legislative bodies should have more stringent requirements as to where the venues are made, so they may be made somewhere actually useful, and require a commitment for upkeep for a certain amount of time. This would allow the people to actually get used to and use the infrastructure, the governments the ability to figure out how to best pay or monetize the facilities, and make it quite impossible for countries which shouldn't be hosting the Olympics to host.
All the información about México is wrong! The Olympic venues in México City are very well kept. Most of them are still in use as flats or sports facilities. Even the decorative sculptures and murals are amazona nowdays!
i think shortly after the games are over the venues should be re-purposed. i think there are people in this world smart enough to design venues with their next life in mind.
Isn't it up to the towns countries to use and maintain these buildings and structures. They could use them for training their own Olympians make public pools ect.
Seems like only a few olympic villages are selected in the photo shoot and are used over and over in a photo shoot. Some have captions that they are still used or actually taken during initial construction (the multiple cranes make me believe that the second is true).
There is no reason that these places could not have been kept up and lived in. Most of these are in Athens from 12 years ago. That is such a shame as I am sure there are people out there that could use the accommodations.
This is all the fault of the organizers and the governments of those places. The older ones are understandable. If they didn't have the planning or foresight to look past the event and repurpose the venues then that's on the individual host. Vancouver has used and/or repurposed all venues. They planned with post-olympics in mind.
Return Olympics back to Greece permanently, and stop the "money games" every 4 years and lead up with IOC selection junkets with their excessive FIFA like expense/bribe/favour freebies.
Pick a location on each continent and rotate the games.....and pick 4 locations for the winter games.....I'm sure the costs of maintaining current facilities could be borne by a cost-sharing agreement among the individual OCs
The biggest mess here seems to be the 2004 Athens Olympic. It was probably even part of the reason Greece went Bankrupt. Its such a big Waste. I'm from Canada and lives close to Montreal and our 1976 Games have not left any Unused structures. Everything has been recycled to hold something. The only thing that is still a bit r******d is how we dont use our olympics stadium a lot and this thing was so expensive that in 2016 there is still a portion of taxes from Quebecs resident that pays for it. But it still there and being maintain and host events from time to time.
Sarajevo, Bosnia - It's clear how War can destroy a country. Athens - It's also clear how a struggling economy will result in wasteland. Bejing - More difficult to understand as they have the money to repurpose to community use. They can but they don't. :( Older years - Nature taking over, turning relics for exploration and hiking. Nature winning is not a bad thing.
The nature is not taking over: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennispalatsi, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki_Swimming_Stadium and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki_Velodrome
Load More Replies...I have to say I'm glad Chicago didn't win the bid for the Olympics. It's expensive, the events would have been scattered all over the place and historically it causes a lot of trouble for vendor and businesses to host them. With so many other sites specially built for past Olympics, I couldn't see the need. Guess the current mayor feels the same way, although I haven't actually heard anyone publicly discuss the idea.
we can stop this , boycott olympia forever as i do i also never been in a Zoo
The lead in to the pics mentions Atlanta. Where is the waste there? Also, with a couple of exceptions, these are in the same countries. And all of them have undergone some crisis or another since the games were held there. War or financial, mostly. How many venues haven't been wasted?
Yeah, I'd like to see a list of Olympic venues that are still in use.... maybe with before/after pictures comparing them holding Olympic Events, to the events they hold today???
Load More Replies...So the take away fron the pictures are that greece was a mistake, caneoing is a water sport and the investment in a ski jump is pointless.
That ski jump tower was used for a long time. It's just too small nowadays.
Load More Replies...Mainly photos of Athens and Atlanta. Is it the same for all other venues? or are these isolated cases? I mean, Mexico '86? it was 30 years ago, let it rest. The same with Berlin '36 and Munich '72. I think the titles leads to generalization and distortion. I agree it is a waste of money, and a few get all the revenues... but if you really want to make a point, bring photos of the las 5 to 6 venues, to get a better picture and let me judge for myself
Mexico Olympics were in 1968. There were no Olympics in 1986.
Load More Replies...According to all that spoke before me - it's all true, but you all missed one thing - you can make it smart - like London did. Almost all things that they set for their Olimpic Games were suited for the role or happened in temporary constructions. Sutch a fresh way of thinking - and I'm not a brit to said that :P (best regards from Poland)
These places can become sports academies, office complexes, colonies, schools or even theme parks... there has to be a plan before the village is constructed...
How do countries make money from hosting? Spend billions just to host the olympics.
I think they should be hosted all over the world at the same time. Period.
So they use the venues all the time, for all games, Olympic and regional too.
Load More Replies...These pictures are very interesting, but surely not matching the post's title. There is plenty of reason to criticise financial aspects of olympia, but only few of these pictures depict them. Rather, they are coincidental, show consequences of armed conflicts, look a long time back, or even show grasped opportunities. I repeat myself, but less sensationalisn would do Bored Panda well.
I live in ATL and the 1996 games were the greatest thing that ever happened to our city. Decaying areas were refurbished and ATL made the transition from an old Southern town to a beautiful international city. Most of the Olympic venues have been transitioned into other uses and Centennial Olympic Park still remains a jewel in downtown. No complaints here for the Olympics coming to my city!
I am from Sydney we had the 2000 games and still use everything i think... Olympic park is more of a business park now though but the stadiums are still our main stadiums. it all worked out pretty well for us too.. maybe if we held the winter olympics it would go to waste though
Load More Replies...It's unrealistic to think that any city is going to be able to use all Olympic venues on the same scale once the games are over. So long as they re-purpose the land/equipment for some use (even the graveyard), I don't see a problem.
Helsinki has managed to do that quite well, even though they had to repair/rebuilt some places after WWII. (The venues had been built for the 1940 Olympics.) And they did it while many things were still being rationed after the war and the country was paying huge war reparations to the Soviet Union. Finland is also the smallest country and Helsinki the least economically powerful city to ever host the Olympics.
Load More Replies...Sarajevo and Athens and the 1932 Berlin sites are understandable, but the post-Olympics slump is a real issue. The 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, however, did it right. They used existing venues. They only built two new venues -- an aquatic center at the University of Southern California, and a velodrome in Carson, and those are still being used.
Hmm... I'd be interested in seeing how well Calgary is doing at using the facilities built for the 1988 winter olympics. Pretty sure it's sitting around 100% in use.
This is so poetic, it reminds me of the greek ruins. They are like huge art installations and a monument to mankind history.
It is sad to see the Athens facilities went to waste. I live in Calgary and our 1988 olympics facilities are still heavily used
Each host City should look at utilizing each Olympic venue after the games finish as much as they do in planning the whole thing beforehand. Then there would be some great historical memorials in use today. Sydney still makes use of it's venues.
Commenters are screaming "war" to every single Sarajevo one, without realising that the stadiums on Germany might have had the same problem. Just because it was much longer ago, it doesn't make it any less tragic. Also, despite the good intentions, somw people talk about Bosnia as an eternal warzone, which is actually very harmful to the public image of the country, which has been peaceful all these 20 years....
Many places in Germany seem to have been used by the Soviet troops and they don't really care to take care of the places where they are staying. (Speaking from experience.)
Load More Replies...Meanwhile in Australia we still use the majority of our 16-year-old Olympics facilities...... and they're all kept in good condition.
Meanwhile in Finland we still use 64-year-old (and some 76-year-old) Olympic facilities. Some have just been renovated and the Olympic Stadium under renovation at the moment.
Load More Replies...This makes me curious about the flip side of things... I wish there was a photo essay about venues still in use. After all, these pics are from the same handful of countries. Makes me wonder about the dozens of other countries and how they have faired.
Blame this all on the 1936 Nazi Olympics, they are the ones who started all the big venues and spending. and because of this each successive Olympics tries to outdo the previous one. Plus the IOC is a narcissistic organization.
The 2018 Olympics are supposed to be "Green Olympics." But, look what is happening right now in South Korea: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_ancient_korean_forest_1/?fjfqLab&pv=62 Please sign on to save this 500 year old forrest! It is literally being torn down for a 3 day Olympic event! WHY? If you think that these material goods are being wasted -- and I agree with you that they are -- what about one of Nature's Wonders? It cannot be replaced overnight! Sign and share so we can stop this devestation -- PLEASE!
Man some of this stuff is still used and one of your pictures of the supposedly "abandoned" venues was taken BEFORE the games were held! The 2014 winter games yet the picture was taken in 2013! Yea it was real "abandoned." Cmon y'all. There's plenty of places you could have shown but instead you showed the same thing and place multiple times, AND couldn't even get half of them right that they are abandoned! Can't be abandoned if people still use it. You can't possibly suck that bad at your jobs. Seriously. That's just freakin lazy. And if you do suck that bad at your job... call me. I need a new job. I'll do it way better and not be lazy at the same time. AND be accurate in my information! Hit me up! Haha! For real guys this is pitiful.
What? Salt lake city isn't listed here? Oh wait...that's because SLC is the ONLY Olympic games to have a 100% use after the Olympics were over... I understand why many want to have it in one place, but that's not realistic. Instead, part of the application process should outline what the resources will be used for after the games are over. Then we don't have abandoned buildings/wastefulness.
Why do these countries just use these things for other thing .....make affordable housing out of the villages turn the bobsled tracks into mountain biking the kayak course into a sweet skate-park....recycle stuff....i am not saying it is not a waste of money but they could do something it would be better then letting it die
They shouldn't build anything they don't plan to use and incorporate into the cities for the people of that city. The people of the city pay for these buildings and centers via taxes and land usurping. So many poor neighborhoods could be made better with a beautiful pool or parkway. These things can all be designed to serve after the Olympics and if they can't then they should not be built. Rotting bleachers etc or a hazard. This must stop.
There has to be a better way... They basically build a small town and use it a couple of weeks and then all that waste...
I see so much that can be re-cycled in these photos - wood, steel, etc. Prime property was used (some with spectacular views) in most locations which could be repurposed for housing. Such a waste.
I live in Atlanta. A way better story here. A world-class stadium for the Braves, now 20 years old; excellent housing for Ga Tech students, a new (and still used) natatorium at Tech, and other improvements. The velodrome was temporary and removed after the games. As far as I know, we have no abandoned sites.
Cant believe they build these places and then never use them again! Re-purpose them or keep using the sports facilities for kids and young people! Promote the sports, make a tourist attraction out of it! Bad resourcing, no marketing ideas, no innovation ideas!
I really really hate this post. There are lots of examples of well planned olympic venues that are still in good use. Olympics brings people of all countries, races, religions together, like no other human activities. War is BY FAR the biggest waste of money ever, not the olympics. As polite as i can be, given the stupidity of the title of this post (Donald Trump would be proud): f**k off!
They really should plan what to use everything for when the Olympics are over. They could use the Olympic village for housing or something. It's such a waste of resources.
But don't get me wrong, I still love the Olympics.
Load More Replies...I think the time for the Olympics has passed. Time to move on and stop being so wasteful with diminishing resources.
There definitely needs to be a committee that takes care of the aftermath of the Olympics. One that works to re purpose what they can, sell what they can, and demolish whatever is left after. I think they could sell pieces of the structures as souvenirs and generate money to repurpose other structures that are left behind.
It seems like some countries/venues are more wasteful than others (economic failure Greece and war-torn Sarejevo are easy targets). Here in Utah a lot of the Winter Olympics is still up and in use. But we have a strong economy and few battles. . .
Interesting post, now we just need one showing the building that have been repurposed. If I remember correctly China has done some cool things.
Athens is a bad example, taken from a whole country that struggled financially due to government mismanagement, and gone bankrupt, yet it was continually repeated to make a point that the 'Olympics is the biggest waste of money ever'. Take a look at London's 2012 legacy, with a thriving community build around the Olympic Stadium, in a once derelict area. With the (reduced size) stadium itself now the home to a Premier League football club. The Aquatics centre, the Velodrome and the White Water centre are all still very much in use, increasing the countries participation in many new sports. So I would argue, with planning, and vision, the Olympics can hold a healthy and financially fruitful legacy.
I get the whole thing about allowing country's to earn the tourist revenue, that's totally understandable. But the Olympics committee should rethink how they decide to award the event to which country. The Olympics is not just about the best athletes competing against each other, its about uniting countries. They should also insist that anything that is built for the events will be useful after the events are over. Like someone suggested that housing that was built should become a homeless shelter, or low income housing. Or maybe a school. That needs to be part of negotiations that will ensure the profits that the country makes will actually help the people of the area and not just line pockets of officials and leaders of said country.
Why, in modern-media-ages, can't we split things up a bit? Marathon in Greece, Rugby in France, Judo in Japan, and so on... Countries can still contribute if they are not hosting any sport at all... Globalisation of the Olympics and sports 24h/day! Existing facilities can be re-used in this way...
They still use the olympic pool in Beijing; my neice was thrilled to actually swim there a few weeks ago.
Everyone looks to short term pride as opposed to long term benefit. The Olympic legislative bodies should have more stringent requirements as to where the venues are made, so they may be made somewhere actually useful, and require a commitment for upkeep for a certain amount of time. This would allow the people to actually get used to and use the infrastructure, the governments the ability to figure out how to best pay or monetize the facilities, and make it quite impossible for countries which shouldn't be hosting the Olympics to host.
All the información about México is wrong! The Olympic venues in México City are very well kept. Most of them are still in use as flats or sports facilities. Even the decorative sculptures and murals are amazona nowdays!
i think shortly after the games are over the venues should be re-purposed. i think there are people in this world smart enough to design venues with their next life in mind.
Isn't it up to the towns countries to use and maintain these buildings and structures. They could use them for training their own Olympians make public pools ect.
Seems like only a few olympic villages are selected in the photo shoot and are used over and over in a photo shoot. Some have captions that they are still used or actually taken during initial construction (the multiple cranes make me believe that the second is true).
There is no reason that these places could not have been kept up and lived in. Most of these are in Athens from 12 years ago. That is such a shame as I am sure there are people out there that could use the accommodations.
This is all the fault of the organizers and the governments of those places. The older ones are understandable. If they didn't have the planning or foresight to look past the event and repurpose the venues then that's on the individual host. Vancouver has used and/or repurposed all venues. They planned with post-olympics in mind.
Return Olympics back to Greece permanently, and stop the "money games" every 4 years and lead up with IOC selection junkets with their excessive FIFA like expense/bribe/favour freebies.
Pick a location on each continent and rotate the games.....and pick 4 locations for the winter games.....I'm sure the costs of maintaining current facilities could be borne by a cost-sharing agreement among the individual OCs
The biggest mess here seems to be the 2004 Athens Olympic. It was probably even part of the reason Greece went Bankrupt. Its such a big Waste. I'm from Canada and lives close to Montreal and our 1976 Games have not left any Unused structures. Everything has been recycled to hold something. The only thing that is still a bit r******d is how we dont use our olympics stadium a lot and this thing was so expensive that in 2016 there is still a portion of taxes from Quebecs resident that pays for it. But it still there and being maintain and host events from time to time.
Sarajevo, Bosnia - It's clear how War can destroy a country. Athens - It's also clear how a struggling economy will result in wasteland. Bejing - More difficult to understand as they have the money to repurpose to community use. They can but they don't. :( Older years - Nature taking over, turning relics for exploration and hiking. Nature winning is not a bad thing.
The nature is not taking over: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennispalatsi, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki_Swimming_Stadium and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki_Velodrome
Load More Replies...I have to say I'm glad Chicago didn't win the bid for the Olympics. It's expensive, the events would have been scattered all over the place and historically it causes a lot of trouble for vendor and businesses to host them. With so many other sites specially built for past Olympics, I couldn't see the need. Guess the current mayor feels the same way, although I haven't actually heard anyone publicly discuss the idea.
we can stop this , boycott olympia forever as i do i also never been in a Zoo
The lead in to the pics mentions Atlanta. Where is the waste there? Also, with a couple of exceptions, these are in the same countries. And all of them have undergone some crisis or another since the games were held there. War or financial, mostly. How many venues haven't been wasted?
Yeah, I'd like to see a list of Olympic venues that are still in use.... maybe with before/after pictures comparing them holding Olympic Events, to the events they hold today???
Load More Replies...So the take away fron the pictures are that greece was a mistake, caneoing is a water sport and the investment in a ski jump is pointless.
That ski jump tower was used for a long time. It's just too small nowadays.
Load More Replies...Mainly photos of Athens and Atlanta. Is it the same for all other venues? or are these isolated cases? I mean, Mexico '86? it was 30 years ago, let it rest. The same with Berlin '36 and Munich '72. I think the titles leads to generalization and distortion. I agree it is a waste of money, and a few get all the revenues... but if you really want to make a point, bring photos of the las 5 to 6 venues, to get a better picture and let me judge for myself
Mexico Olympics were in 1968. There were no Olympics in 1986.
Load More Replies...According to all that spoke before me - it's all true, but you all missed one thing - you can make it smart - like London did. Almost all things that they set for their Olimpic Games were suited for the role or happened in temporary constructions. Sutch a fresh way of thinking - and I'm not a brit to said that :P (best regards from Poland)
These places can become sports academies, office complexes, colonies, schools or even theme parks... there has to be a plan before the village is constructed...
How do countries make money from hosting? Spend billions just to host the olympics.
I think they should be hosted all over the world at the same time. Period.
So they use the venues all the time, for all games, Olympic and regional too.
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