Abandoned venues of the Rio Olympics just 6 months later: Update - all abandoned Olympic venues

David_TheMan

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There have been multiple economic reports that show Olympics are a negative to the communities and nations that host them financially. i don't think there has been one olympics yet that produced a profit, of the modern ones.
 

tru_m.a.c

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These Eerie Photos Show The Ghosts Of Olympics Past | The Huffington Post

Every few years, the world tunes in to watch the Olympic Games.

From Salt Lake City to London to Beijing, cities across the globe have played host to the illustrious games with hundreds of athletes anxiously vying for their spot in history. But with hosting comes great responsibility, and often new construction that takes years to complete.

The construction, as we’ve seen, can involve destruction. It can also lead to athletic facilities becoming abandoned once the games are over. With many cities having no use for the elaborate luging slides or massive stadiums after the Olympics end, they become quiet and desolate monoliths.

Let’s take a walk through these lands of the long-gone glory days.

    • Sarajevo 1984
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      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      Downhill bikers Kemal Mulic (C), Tarik Hadzic (L) and Kamer Kolar train on the disused bobsled track from the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics on Trebevic mountain near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Aug. 8, 2015.
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      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      The disused bobsleigh track from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics is seen on Mount Trebevic, Sept. 19, 2013.
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      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      A view of the disused bobsleigh track from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics on Mount Trebevic, Sept. 19, 2013.
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      ELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP/Getty Images
      A picture taken on Feb. 5, 2014, shows Sarajevo’s abandoned ski jumping venue at Mt. Igman.
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      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      A view of the disused ski jump from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics on Mount Igman, Sept. 19, 2013.
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      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      A view of the disused ski jump from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics on Mount Igman in 2013.
    • 57ab2df51800001701bc9f2d.jpeg

      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      Downhill bikers Tarik Hadzic (L-R), Kemal Mulic and Kamer Kolar train on the disused bobsled track from the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics on Trebevic mountain, Aug. 8, 2015. 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.
    • 57ab2df51700002600c724f2.jpeg

      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      Downhill bikers Kemal Mulic (R-L), Tarik Hadzic and Kamer Kolar train on the disused bobsled track from the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, Aug. 8, 2015.
    • 57ab2df71800002100bc9f2e.jpeg

      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      A view of the disused judges room for the ski jump from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics.

    • 57ab2df71700002d00d1de2b.jpeg

      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      A view of the disused judges room for the ski jump from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics in 2013.
    • 57ab2df91700002c00d1de2d.jpeg

      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      A view of worn stone steps which lead to the disused ski jump from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics in 2013.
    • 57ab2df81700002d00d1de2c.jpeg

      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      Downhill bikers Kemal Mulic (L-R), Kamer Kolar and Tarik Hadzic train on the disused bobsled track from the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics in 2015.
    • 57ab2df91700002600c724f8.jpeg

      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      The disused bobsleigh track from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics is seen in 2013.
    • 57ab2df91700002d00d1de2e.jpeg

      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      A view of the derelict medals podium at the disused ski jump from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics in 2013.
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      Dado Ruvic / Reuters
      The logo of Winter Olympics in Sarajevo is seen on a tower near Zetra hall, the venue for the figure skating, in 2013.
 
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tru_m.a.c

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  • [*]Athens 2004
    57ab2f9a1800002100bc9f3b.jpeg

    Yannis Behrakis / Reuters
    A chair stands in a deserted swimming pool at the Olympic Village in the town of Thrakomakedones, north of Athens, in July 2014.
    [*]
    57ab2f9a1700002600c72502.jpeg

    Yorgos Karahalis / Reuters
    The stands are seen at the abandoned Olympic Canoe and Kayak Slalom Centre at the Hellenikon complex in Athens, July 2014.
    [*]
    57ab2f991700002c00d1de36.jpeg

    Yorgos Karahalis / Reuters
    The abandoned Canoe and Kayak Slalom Centre where competitions were held during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games is seen at the Hellenikon complex south of Athens, July 2014.
    [*]
    57ab2f9a1700001e01c72501.jpeg

    Yannis Behrakis / Reuters
    Garbage floats in a deserted swimming pool at the Olympic Village in Thrakomakedones, north of Athens, in July 2014.
    [*]
    57ab31931700002d00d1de41.jpeg

    Kostas Tsironis/Bloomberg/Getty Images
    An empty stadium seating stand is seen at the abandoned Olympic baseball field at the former Athens International Airport in the Hellenikon district of Athens, Greece, in December 2014.
    [*]
    57ab31961700002c00d1de43.jpeg

    Oli Scarff/Getty Images
    Unused flagposts stand in front of a litter-strewn water feature in the 2004 Olympic Games Complex in February 2012 in Athens, Greece.
    [*]
    57ab31941700001e01c72509.jpeg

    Vladimir Rys/Getty Images
    An abandoned telephone cell is pictured at the Athens 2004 Olympic venue at the Hellenico Olympic park as seen in February 2011.
    [*]
    57ab31941800002100bc9f4b.jpeg

    ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP/Getty Images
    View of the disused Olympic canoe/kayak stadium in Athens on June 11, 2012.
    [*]
    57ab31941700002d00d1de42.jpeg

    ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP/Getty Images
    A view of the disused Olympic field hockey stadium in Athens on June 11, 2012.
 
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tru_m.a.c

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  • [*]Beijing 2008
    57ab31901700001e01c72508.jpeg

    David Gray / Reuters
    The 2008 Beijing Olympics venue for the beach volleyball competition lies deserted and unmaintained in central Beijing, April 2, 2012. The gigantic infrastructures built for the Beijing Olympics, namely the National Stadium, better known as the “Bird’s Nest”, and the National Aquatics Center, better 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. However, some other Beijing Olympic venues, such as the rowing and kayaking centre, baseball arena and BMX track, have been left either deserted or been completely demolished.
    [*]
    57ab32101700002c00d1de49.jpeg

    David Gray / Reuters
    A security fence surrounds the deserted and unmaintained 2008 Beijing Olympics venue for the beach volleyball competition in central Beijing, April 2, 2012.
    [*]Turin 2006
    57ab31971800001701bc9f4c.jpeg

    Alessandro Albert/Getty Images
    The ex-Olympic village built for the athletes of the Olympic Winter games is now abandoned on September 20, 2010, in Turin, Italy.
    [*]
    57ab3a1a1800001701bc9f6a.jpeg

    Alessandro Albert/Getty Images
    The ex-Olympic village built for the athletes of the Olympic Winter games is now abandoned, as seen on September 20, 2010, in Turin, Italy.
 
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88m3

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Well technically all US cities that lobbied for the Olympics - not even the those that won - have been able to use it to their advantage to leverage growth.

@88m3 did you make that thread on how NYC was able to use the Olympics proposals to increase the budget for the highway and transit system?

Nah, or at least not that I remember but it sounds really familiar.


Lake Placid where NYS held two winter Olympics still hosts world class events but it's been difficult.
 

Shogun

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Found this..

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The Berlin Olympic Torch defaced with decades of graffiti.

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The main Olympic Village hasn't been used since the Olympics and is all but a relic. | Source
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These dormitories of 'Peaceful Village' ironically became Nazi military barracks during the war. They have not been used since.
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The Village swimming pool, abandoned since 1945, only recently has been subject to conservation and preservation.

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The Caldron at Helsinki.

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The abandoned swimming pool at Helsinki.
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The abandoned swimming pool at Helsinki.

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Aerial photo of Olympiapark in Munich.


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The abandoned Olympic Park train station.
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Nature slowly reclaimed the rain depot of the Olympic Park.

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The entrance to Linnahall. The hastily built structure hasn't weathered well.
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This ariel view shows the complex, abandoned since 1980.

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Sarajevo Olympic Torch


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What's left of the Medal Podium at Sarajevo. In the years following the war, this site became a place for public executions. | Source
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The bobsled run now overgrown with plants.
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The ski jump at Sarajevo, rotting away.
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Sarajevo Olympic Village now looks like a ghost town.
 

Shogun

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13141279_f520.jpg

The Olympic Torch after being moved.


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Courtside at the Stone Mountain Complex shows the level of decay since the games ended.
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There hasn't been a game here in years.

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Banners and décor from the 2004 Special Olympics still litter the park. | Source
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Gypsies now populate the abandoned venues.
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Abandoned training pool | Source
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Abandoned Beachball Volleyball stadium. | Source

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The Abandoned Volleyball Stadium.
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The abandoned Kayaking course.
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The abandoned track stadium.
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The abandoned baseball stadium.
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The abandoned bicycle course.
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The Water Cube in bankruptcy.

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The paint pealing Sochi sign, a monument for the inevitable.



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#sochiproblems will continue for decades to come as unfinished hotels and dorms begin their path to decay.


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Toilets that will never flush.


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The stadium, its roof partially disassembled, has rarely been used since the games. | Source



The parking lot has been blocked by concrete blocks.


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The Sochi Torch

Abandoned Olympic Venues
 

Robbie3000

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There have been multiple economic reports that show Olympics are a negative to the communities and nations that host them financially. i don't think there has been one olympics yet that produced a profit, of the modern ones.

The Olympics were good for Atlanta. It put us on the map. Centennial Park is now a city square, the Olympic village was refitted into college dormitories for Georgia State, Aquarium was part of the legacy, we now have the busiest airport in the world and we had a migration boom.

The Olympics basically cemented Atlanta as the hub of the Southeast.
 

88m3

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Recent off the top of my head. Off the bat you can really write off a few due to situations that are larger than the cities/countries themselves.


Winter
Sarajevo had a war.
Salt Lake City's venues are still used
Turin idk it's Italy lol
Vancouver I would imagine still uses their facilities
Sochi Russia is a corrupt as fukk and there were a lot of exposes on that .


Summer
Rio financial crisis/corruption
London some still used, some being redeveloped
China ... it's China
Athens... financial crisis
Australia... no idea


Most of the facilities are out of date within a ten to fifteen year span too. The games are held every four years....


:yeshrug:


I think they should be kept to a handful of a cities/countries honestly.
 

David_TheMan

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The Olympics were good for Atlanta. It put us on the map. Centennial Park is now a city square, the Olympic village was refitted into college dormitories for Georgia State, Aquarium was part of the legacy, we now have the busiest airport in the world and we had a migration boom.

The Olympics basically cemented Atlanta as the hub of the Southeast.
Maybe it made you feel like it was great for atlanta but actual economic indicators don't confirm what you are saying with regard as the olympics being a benefit. It had no long term economic effects and the city of atlanta reported it only broke even.
Consider intangibles when weighing Olympic host city benefits
There is also the issue of “unit of analysis.” Do we measure impact by the organizing committee, the city, the province/state, or the country? Or all of them collectively? For example, in Barcelona (1992), the Spanish government was reportedly left a $6.1 billion (all figures U.S.) debt despite the organizing committee reporting a profit of $3 million. Similarly, in Nagano (1998), reports suggested the Olympic committee showed a $28 million profit but various government groups were left with $11 billion in debt. Some Games do not differentiate, such as Albertville (1992), which reportedly lost $57 million, and Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000), who both reported breaking even.


Even if facilities sit empty after the games, many host countries point to another possible economic benefit. They claim that a publicity boost from the Olympics will help a city with tourism and international business.

Allen Sanderson, senior lecturer at the University of Chicago who specializes in sports economics, investigated that question.

He and a student, Samantha Edds, compared cities that hosted the Olympics with similar cities in the same country or region that did not. The cities were also comparable in other ways — size, population and tourist appeal.

They compared Atlanta, which hosted the Olympics, to Charlotte, which did not. They pitted Olympic city Barcelona against Madrid, and matched up Sydney, Australia, against Melbourne.

They checked for marked growth in construction, tourism and the financial-services sector over a nine-year period — four years before the games, and five years after.

"We couldn't find any difference in terms of building permits, tourism, anything before or after," Sanderson says. "If you masked the name of the cities, you would not be able to tell which of these two cities had the Olympics and which did not."

According to Sanderson, this doesn't mean cities should stop competing to host the Olympics; it just means they should stop claiming that the games make economic sense.
 
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