Creepy Ghost Sites from Past Olympics

Updated September 24, 2021 3.4M views 16 items

Hosting the Olympics almost always backfires. It sounds glamorous, but in reality, it's anything but. Cities build massive arenas and hotels just to accommodate the events and athletes and then have virtually nothing to use them for after the games hit the road. As a result, the world is positively littered with abandoned Olympics venues. From Sarajevo to Athens, most places just can't handle the Olympics.

Start to finish, host cities run inevitably run into problem after problem. One of the biggest problems is almost always infrastructure. Hosting the Olympics requires several venues and arenas, pretty much all of which need to be new or at least newly renovated.

Of course, after the Olympics are over, there's really no more need for said venues. Some continue to get used for various purposes, but many inevitably fall into a state of disrepair. The specialty sites, in particular, the ones built for things like bobsledding and other less popular sports, are usually the first to go. In the end, the upkeep on old Olympic sites just hasn't been worth it for most past host cities.

There are ghost sites from previous Olympics all over the world. Here are some of the creepiest.

The Bobsled Facility from the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo
Photo: Julian Nyča / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Not long after Sarajevo hosted the Olympics, what was formerly Yugoslavia fell into a brutal civil war. During that time, the bobsled facility was used as an artillery stronghold.
The Beach Volleyball Arena from the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens
Photo: jhntering / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Maintaining old Olympic venues has been the least of Greece's worries since Athens hosted the summer games in 2004. The country has had a lot of financial trouble recently and most of the Olympic arenas have been neglected accordingly.
A Podium from the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo
Photo: Hedwig Klawuttke / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
War ravaged Sarajevo only a few years after the city hosted the Olympics. As a result, most of the Olympic sites now sit in various states of decay.
The Olympic Village from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver
Video: YouTube
Olympic villages are often repurposed as residential housing after the Olympics are over. Unfortunately for Vancouver, their Olympic village has turned into a veritable ghost town since the end of the 2010 Olympics.
Olympiapark Schwimmstadion from the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin
Photo: Andreas Levers / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
The Summer Olympics in Berlin took place in Nazi Germany and were nearly boycotted by several countries. Shockingly, the swimming stadium is still in use, but it's definitely seen better days.
The Kayaking Venue from the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens
Video: YouTube
The venues from the 2004 Olympics are a variable wasteland now. They're desolate and a testament to the financial hardships that come with hosting the Olympics.
The Olympic Stadium from the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens
Photo: Spyrosdrakopoulos / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Athens' Olympic Stadium was built in 1982 to host an international athletic competition and renovated to host the 2004 Olympics. It's actually still used as a music venue, but the grounds outside the stadium have begun to look more like the setting for a zombie apocalypse than anything else.
München Olympiastadion Station from the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich
Photo: Zeno Heilmaier / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
The München Olympiastadion transit rail station was built for the 1972 Olympics in Munich. However, after the Olympics ended, there was little use for it and it was eventually abandoned.
The Bobsled Finish House from the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo
Video: YouTube
Some of the venues from the 1972 Winter Olympics have withstood the test of time, but the bobsled finish house is not one of them. The building is abandoned, crumbling, and looks like it houses at least a few ghosts.
The Hellinikon Softball Stadium from the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens
Photo: Evanonthegc / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Very few of the Olympic venues from the 2004 Olympics are still in use. The softball stadium is particularly desolate, with weeds taking over the majority of the once pristine field.

The Palace of Industry from the 1948 Summer Olympics in London
Photo: oxyman / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 3.0
Part of this building was destroyed long ago, but in 1948, it housed the fencing competitions for the London Olympics.
The Tennis Stadium from the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta
Video: YouTube
Thanks to the often brutal humidity, summer sports can be a tough sell in Georgia. It's not too surprising, then, that the tennis stadium from the 1996 Olympics is unused now.
The Olympic Village from the 1984 Summer Olympics in Sarajevo
Photo: MSGT Michael J. Haggerty / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
War turned much of Sarajevo into ruin following the 1984 Olympics, including the once lively Olympic Village.
The Kayaking Venue from the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta
Photo: John Anderson / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Olympic kayaking venues are to the summer Olympics as bobsledding venues are to the winter. They're both often the first venues to be lost and forgotten.
The Canoe Venue from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing
Video: YouTube
Although the iconic Bird's Nest stadium from the Beijing Olympics is still in use, most others have been left to rot away.
The Olympic Village from the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin
Photo: Global Fish / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0
Having the Olympics in Nazi Germany created a whole host of problems. Eighty years later, this small Olympic Village is one of the few remnants left from the games.