Deserted and already falling apart: Winter Olympics seem a lifetime ago as photographs reveal £31bn Sochi ghost town

By Daniel Miller

Published: 16:12 EDT, 25 March 2014 | Updated: 04:33 EDT, 26 March 2014

Just a few weeks ago it was the centre of the sporting world, home to some 6,000 athletes, buzzing with excitement, the shining showpiece of Vladimir Putin's £31billion Winter Olympics extravaganza. 

But today the Russian resort of Sochi resembles little more than a ghost town with deserted buildings, empty streets and a few stray dogs basking in the sunshine the only signs of life.

Events in Crimea have already overshadowed any feelgood effect from the games and while Russian authorities insist they have secured a fitting legacy for Sochi, it is now hard to imagine this Black Sea town ever becoming a leading international tourist attraction.

Deserted: Just a few weeks ago it hosted the Winter Olympics, but today, the Russian town of Sochi already resembles a ghost town

Gone to the dogs: A stray dog basking in the sunshine by the promenade was one of the few signs of life in the Olympic village

No expense was spared in transforming Sochi from a dreary, Soviet-era beach town, into a world-class ski resort. Dozens of new hotels and accommodation blocks sprung up, the airport was upgraded and an incredible $8 billion was spent on building a new railway.

According to Human Rights Watch, 2,000 families were moved out for the games, some of them were paid but others weren’t. Around 40 new hotels were built and and a further 15 completely re-furbished in the hope Sochi would become an all-year-round tourist destination.

Despite the astronomical cost, the accommodation in the village was widely mocked with stories of sewage spilling out of the taps, water 'too dangerous to use on your face', floors not laid and rooms left without door handles.

One hotel lobby had no floor - but staff had found time to hang a framed photo of Vladimir Putin, another group of reporters were told to wait a day for their room, which had no running water, no internet - and no door to access it.

The list of bizarre and amusing faults even spawned its own Twitter account called Sochi Problems which was flooded with examples of the unsatisfactory conditions.

Desolate: Another empty street in Sochi Olympic village which just a few weeks ago was home to thousands of athletes and media personnel

All quiet: A single car sits outside another empty block of flats in Sochi, where the Winter Olympics already seems a distant memory

Investment: As the centre of the eye-wateringly expensive 2014 Winter Olympics, no expense was spared in transforming Sochi from a dreary, Soviet-era beach town, into a world-class ski resort

Dozens of new hotels and accommodation blocks were built for the games. The airport was upgraded and an estimated $8 billion spent on building a 31-mile stretch of railway track

Building site: Despite the massive investment some of the buildings were not completed in time for the games

Disrepair: Concrete slabs which have already come loose from a newly-built road leading towards the Olympic village

Filth: Uncollected rubbish piles up in a Sochi reservoir. The accommodation in the town was widely-mocked by visiting athletes

Pot hole: According to Human Rights Watch, 2,000 families were moved out for the games, some of them were paid but others weren't

The accommodation in the village was widely mocked with stories of sewage spilling out of the taps, water 'too dangerous to use on your face', floors not laid and rooms left without door handles

Russia spent an incredible £31 billion on the games, more then the cost of all the other Winter Olympics put together

Another view of empty Olympic accommodation in Sochi which only a few weeks ago was packed with visiting athletes from around the world

Vacancies: Empty chairs sit on empty balconies at the Bridge Resort hotel in Sochi where there was barely a soul to be seen

The Bridge Resort was a bustling hive of activity during the games but there were only a few people to be seen

Rubble: Another section of the Sochi promenade, devoid of any signs of life just a few weeks after the games

Around 40 new hotels were built and and a further 15 existing hotels completely re-furbished in the hope Sochi will become an all-year-round tourist destination

A person mans a check post outside an accommodation block in Sochi, one of the few people to be seen in the former Olympic village

A brand new section of the Sochi promenade, but no one around to enjoy it. Russian authorities hope the massive investment into the town will kick-start a regional economic boom

In addition to the hotels and accommodation blocks, a total of 367km of roads and 200km of railway were built for the Winter games

Complaints: One hotel lobby reportedly had no floor although staff had found time to hang a framed photo of Vladimir Putin, another group of reporters were told to wait a day for their room, which had no running water, no internet - and no door to access it

Unfinished: The list of bizarre and amusing faults with the accommodation even spawned its own Twitter account called Sochi Problems which was flooded with examples of the unsatisfactory conditions