Inside Olympic venues let to rot… from eerie abandoned stadiums to decaying athletes’ village taken over by squatters
THEY were once the pride of their respective nations and hosted some of the greatest sportspeople in the world.
However, once the medals were awarded and the closing ceremonies were over, these Olympic venues were forgotten about and left in a state of rot.
They are now a stark contrast to their glory days when thousands of fans filed in to cheer on their favourite athletes.
From state-of-the-art stadiums to luxurious Olympic villages, they have become eerie reminders of past triumphs and forgotten legacies.
Last week, it was reported that France is spending £3.6billion to ensure the success of this year’s Paris Olympic games.
The Aquatics Centre, the Eiffel Tower Stadium, and the Parc de Princes are among the venues set to host the events.
While many of the centres were already in existence, a select few were built especially for the games, like many others around the world that are now in terrible condition.
Here, we look at how millions were spent on Olympic venues only to be left abandoned and wasted after the games.
Rio 2016
When the Brazilian government set aside £30billion to build infrastructure for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, it promised to ensure that none of the venues would become a white elephant.
But nine years on, it has become just that. Six months after the games, many venues started showing signs of decay.
In fact, the Olympic Aquatic Stadium has now been completely dismantled. The venue, which cost nearly £30million to build, soon became abandoned after the games.
A judge ordered the venue’s closure due to safety concerns, including worries about the water level still at the facility.
Stagnated water filled the pools and were breeding grounds for dengue fever and Zika virus-carrying mosquitoes.
In 2017, the Velodrome, used for the games, caught fire. According to authorities, the fire was caused by a hand-made air balloon, which landed on the roof, damaging parts.
Shortly after, it suffered another setback when a storm ravaged it. Eventually, the damages were fixed, but major events were not hosted there until 2022.
Another venue that fell into disrepair is the world-famous Maracana Stadium, which also played a key role in the 2014 World Cup. It was renovated for the Olympics but became an eyesore shortly after.
The pitch became dry and worn – worlds apart from when it hosted the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies.
Vandals also ripped thousands of seats out of the stands and stole television sets from the walls where they used to be.
There was a dispute between the stadium’s owner, operator, and the organising committee for the Rio Olympics over whose responsibility it was to maintain the venue.
The stadium, now under new management, has been transformed and has been hosting huge tournaments once again.
Sarajevo 1984
In 1984, Bosnia and Herzegovina were awarded the Olympic Games.
Even before it was announced that their bid had been successful, the government started putting together infrastructure fit to welcome the world’s best athletes.
However, just eight years after, the Bosnian war broke out, leading to thousands of deaths. Many of the Olympic facilities were destroyed and never rebuilt.
The bobsleigh track’s decay has become one of the lasting memories of the venue’s state. It is now covered in graffiti. What was once the fastest and steepest track in the world was used as a concrete trench during the war.
In recent years, the government announced plans to restore the track. While this was well received, the project was eventually scrapped due to its high costs.
A hotel built to host spectators was eventually turned into a prison for Bosnian Muslims during the conflict. Today, it sits abandoned and neglected.
One of the podiums used to celebrate winners of the Winter Olympics was morbidly transformed into a place of execution for prisoners of war.
There is one ray of hope – the Bjelašnica ski resort and the Zetra Olympic Hall have been rebuilt.
Beijing 2008
In 2008, China wowed the world when it hosted the Olympics in Beijing. The second biggest economy in the world unveiled stunning infrastructure that cost a whopping £32billion.
The nation’s effort was praised globally, but 16 years later, many venues have been left in a shocking state.
The once lively water-sport parks are now desolate and dried up. This includes the once-thrilling white-water rafting route, now a disheartening sight in complete disrepair.
There’s also rotting wood on the stands of the venue built for beach volleyball.
Paris Olympics with 300k condoms
Nearly 15,000 residents – around 10,500 of which are athletes – will be cramming into the Olympic village between July 26 and August 11.
To ensure the athletes feel at home, a number of provisions have been made by organisers.
One of these is the stocking of some 300,000 condoms, in theory enough for around two every day during the run of the Games.
A number of Olympic athletes have opened the door on their steamy lives behind-the-scenes when in camp, including huge sex orgies and parties.
London 2012 had claimed the title of “the raunchiest Games ever”, but the 150,000 condoms ordered paled in comparison to the 450,000 ordered for the Rio Games four years later.
Condoms have been laid on by organisers at every game since Seoul 1988, when it they were used to spread awareness of HIV and AIDS.
Even with an intimacy ban at Tokyo 2020 due to Covid-19, some 150,000 johnnies were handed out.
Read the full story here.
Astonishingly, the BMX track, which used to be one of the venue’s most prominent features, looks completely different from its glory days.
Remember China’s Olympic mascots – Nini, Yingjing and Beibei? They lie face down, unattended and deserted, in what could easily be mistaken for a dense forest.
Many of the Games’ signage is now covered in grime, while gates and steel structures have become rusted. Across Beijing, there are several haunting reminders of the once-lauded games.
One of the only facilities that have remained functional since the Olympics is the Beijing National Stadium, which still hosts sporting events.
Atlanta 1996
Atlanta has one of the most distinctive skylines in the United States of America.
On close inspection, you may even spot the Herndon Stadium, used for field hockey during the 1996 Olympic games.
Today, the 15,000-seat arena on Morris Brown College’s campus is nothing more than a neglected wasteland overgrown by weeds and defaced with graffiti.
Unlike many venues listed here, the arena has a rich history that dates back to 1948 during America’s post-war boom.
Even the great rock and roll legend Ray Charles recognised its greatness and recorded a live album there. Ahead of the Olympics in 1996, a vast sum of money was injected into its renovation.
Although it was handed back to the university, limited finances meant it had to be sold in 2014. Since then, it has been left in a desolate state.
Athens 2004
The site for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens was where Dame Kelly Holmes snagged two gold medals and became a national hero.
But 20 years after the sporting event, the Hellinikon Sports Complex has become a complete Greek tragedy left to rot. Greece spent a staggering £8billion to build the venue.
Several buildings’ paintwork has wholly faded and been replaced with graffiti. Inside the stadium, the stands look on the brink of collapse and have become overgrown with weeds.
The swimming pool is a sad state of affairs – while the diving board remains in place, the pool itself has become filthy and reminiscent of a horror movie.
The baseball and softball stadiums have also suffered a similar fate. They have now been permanently shut, and no activities are held there.
A stadium that was used for baseball events is also overgrown with weeds.
According to multiple sources, the Greek government decided not to invest in the venue any longer after the country’s crippling financial crisis in 2009.
Turin 2006
When Italy won the right to host the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, a staggering £4.4billion was spent to ensure its success, much of which was spent on infrastructure for the Games.
Several of these venues were constructed against a backdrop of lush scenery and majestic mountains, making it one of the most breathtaking locations.
Fast forward 18 years and many facilities are now a shell of their original self and entirely unrecognisable.
Haunting pictures show that the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton venue has not been maintained for years and is covered in rust. Tall weeds on either side have taken over the track.
Other buildings, such as the village where athletes stayed, have also decayed.
In recent years, the Olympic village was occupied by over 1,000 migrants from countries such as Somalia and Libya. They were squatting in four of the abandoned buildings.
Cops evicted them in 2019. Afterwards, developers swooped in to transform parts of the village into student accommodation.
Berlin 1936
When it comes to haunting Olympic facilities that have been left to decay, Berlin’s Olympic Village is the most eerie.
The games in 1936 took place while the evil dictator Adolf Hitler was still in charge of Germany. They took place shortly after laws were passed that stripped Jewish people of political rights.
During the games, black American track star Jesse Owens picked up four gold medals, defying Hitler’s vile race ideologies.
And while the infrastructure was built to show the dominance of the Nazis, it has now fallen into a state of ruin.
During the World War, the German army occupied the halls used to host athletes. After that, Russian army officers also resided there. But since they left, it has been left unmaintained.
Indoor swimming pools built for Olympic events are now empty with filthy mould on their ceilings. Here, it is common to see crumbling walls that appear as though they could be on the verge of collapse.
The only preserved infrastructure was the Olympic stadium, which housed over 100,000 spectators during the games and is now the home of Hertha BSC.
