Abandoned Olympic Venues Around the World

The Olympics aren’t just a chance to cheer on world-class athletes, they’re also an opportunity for the country that’s hosting the games to enjoy a boost to the economy. However, spending money to improve infrastructure and attract tourists does not always work out. There are a number of massive facilities worldwide that cost millions to build, but have been completely abandoned to rot away. Take a look at these Olympic sites that have been left in the dust.

Related: World-Famous Stadiums Where You Can Still Catch a Game

Cost to Build: $1.5 billion 

This abandoned 15,011-seat stadium started out as the setting for the 1996 Summer Olympics field hockey competition. Located near the campus of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, the stadium fell into disrepair when the college faced financial difficulties.

Total cost for Olympics: $15 billion

Greece is the smallest country to ever hold an Olympics, but despite being considered the birthplace of the event, the money spent on building for the 2004 games ended up with those same structures lying abandoned. The village built to house athletes now sits empty, covered with graffiti.

The Olympic Aquatic Center once saw cheering crowds and enthusiastic competitors. It now lies abandoned, with a decrepit empty pool.

Equipment lies abandoned as if left behind suddenly, and weeds give the center a creepy feel.

The softball stadium was newly constructed for the Olympics, but now has lain unused ever since.

Related: Once Popular Tourist Hotspots That Are Now Totally Abandoned

Total Cost for Olympics: Approximately $13 billion 

The 2016 Summer Olympics, held in Rio, were an expensive undertaking that Brazil hoped would bring dollars to the economy. But like many Olympics before it, the effects weren’t long lasting. Today, the Olympic village is effectively a ghost town, left in a state of decay. In fact, A Brazilian judge ordered the closure of the Rio aquatics venue on safety grounds in 2020.

Related: Free and Cheap Things to Do in Rio and Brazil

Total Cost for Olympics: Equivalent of $1.7 billion 

In 1936, Berlin built the first multi-sports Olympic park ever, but time has not been kind to the venues, which were constructed just as Hitler began to gain power in Germany.Some buildings were briefly used after the Olympics as a Nazi infantry school and a military hospital. Today they sit in decay.

The Olympic pool lies empty even after all this time, despite an attempt by conservationists to restore the roof in 2020.

Total Cost for Olympics: Approximately $110 million

The Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics brought much attention to the former Yugoslavia. But the Olympic venues that were constructed did not outlast the former country. When the Siege of Sarajevo took place nearly a decade later, most structures were destroyed or used during the battle, but some relics remain. These Olympic jumps on Mount Igman sit vacant surrounded by greenery.

A graveyard now surrounds the abandoned sports complex, a reminder of the war.

Soldiers used the Olympic facilities as hideouts. This bobsled track was said to be used as an artillery stronghold for Bosnian Serbs.

Total Cost for Olympics: Approximately $40 billion 

The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics is  the most expensive summer Olympics ever. But was it worth it? Beijing took on massive projects with the intention of continued use after the games. But the reality was different. One example: the Olympics featured characters named the Fuwa —  brightly colored mascots that were meant to represent good luck. But today, those formerly cute creatures are full-on creepy. They now lie abandoned behind a never-completed shopping mall.

Total Cost for Olympics: $974 Million

In 1968, Grenoble, located at the foot of two mountains, was the perfect site for the 10th ever Winter Olympics. But now, the majestic ski jumps built for the event have been left abandoned. They are covered in graffiti and have started to sink into the hillside. 

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