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.

#1 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.

#2 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.

#3 Olympic Village, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
An abandoned training pool for athletes at the Olympic Village.

#4 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.

#5 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.

#6 Ski Jumping Tower, Grenoble, France, 1968 Winter Olympic Games
48 of abandonment and a beautiful view

#7 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.

#8 Kayak And Canoeing Venue, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue

#9 Olympic Canoe And Kayak Slalom Center, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
View at the Helliniko Olympic complex in 2014.

#10 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.

#11 Main Swimming Pool, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue
Seats for reporters remain desolate in 2014.

#12 Olympic Village, Berlin, 1936 Summer Olympics Venue
Deserted houses for the athletes in the former Olympic Village for the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.

#13 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.

#14 Olympic Flag Posts, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue

#15 Barricades Outside The Stadium, Athens, 2004 Summer Olympics Venue

More photos here.