DESCRIPTION OF INTERACTIVE
More often than not, cities have to build venues to cater to specific sports from scratch in preparation to host an Olympic event. These might include aquatic facilities for swimming, velodromes for track cycling, bobsled or luge tracks, ski jumps, arenas, and many more. However, once the event has ended, the city needs to try to find a cost effective purpose for those costly facilities. Sometimes that is possible, as in the case of the Calgary Olympic Park bobsleigh run, which is still used for training and tourism. Did you know that anyone can take a run on the bobsled track by paying for the experience? On the other hand, sometimes there is simply no demand for these spaces.
What happens when the carnival moves on: Incredible photos show the decaying former Olympic sites across the world - from Germany in 1936 to Beijing in 2008
Source
They used to be brimming with tens of thousands of fans hoping for their countries' teams to be victorious - but eerie photographs have revealed the sites of the past Olympics games have been reduced to rubble by neglect. In Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the disused bobsled from the 1984 Winter Olympics has been vandalised and is now enjoyed by hordes of mountain-bikers, while the Mount Igman ski jumping course threatens to collapse from decomposition. There are similar sites in Athens, Greece, with a swimming pool in the former Olympic Village filled with brown, murky water with a sign emblazoned with the 2004 Summer Games' motto 'Welcome Home' torn in half by vandals. While the site of the Athens Olympic softball and baseball is still standing, the pitch has overgrown with brown weeds and the venue is now used as a shelter for refugees and migrants. The athletes village from the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany has had the windows boarded with timber and sheets of plaster have been ripped from the walls of the deserted building. Nearby at the former Hellinikon Olympic complex, the Canoe and Kayak Slalom Centre has been completely drained, with the bollards formerly used as competitor obstacles still remaining, but now discoloured from the blistering sun. The Olympics podium used to award skiers with their medals at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics on Mount Igman in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been reduced to rubble over the decades. In Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the disused bobsled from the 1984 Winter Olympics has been vandalised and is now enjoyed by hordes of mountain bikers The land used for the Sarajevo Olympic Games in 1984 is now used as an graveyard with remnants of the abandoned stadiums visible from the site
In Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the disused ski-jumping course from the 1956 Winter Olympics threatens to collapse from decomposition. There are similar sites in Athens, Greece, with a swimming pool in the former Olympic Village filled
with brown murky water, litter and a discarded office chair. The 2008 Beijing Olympics venue for the beach volleyball competition lies deserted and unmaintained in central Beijing. Mourners can be seen paying their respects at a graveyard established on the site of the 1984 Olympic Sports Complex in Sarajevo. A view of the disused ski jump from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics on Mount Igman, near Sarajevo. In Athens, this stadium was the site for the Olympic softball in 2004, but has since been abandoned
Nearby at the former Hellinikon Olympic complex, the Canoe and Kayak Slalom Centre has been completely drained, with the bollards formerly used as competitor obstacles still remaining, but now discoloured from the sun. The Hellinikon Olympic complex was used for the Canoe and Kayak Slalom Centre at the 2004 Athens games (left) but has since been drained and abandoned (right). The Athens Olympic Softball stadium at the Hellinikon Olympic complex still stands but the seating has been tarnished by the harsh sun and the pitch has overgrown. This swimming pool from the 1936 Olympic village in Elsral, west of Berlin, has been completely drained and has filled with sand and dirt from the peeling ceiling. In Berlin, Germany, the House of Nations (pictured in 2008) housed many kitchens and dining halls at the 1936 Games. A sign emblazoned with the 2004 Athens Summer Games' motto 'Welcome Home' torn in half by vandals. The athletes village from the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany has had the windows boarded with
timber and sheets of plaster have been ripped from the walls of the deserted building
In 1936, the Olympic Village was constructed specifically for the Games and this building was used to house female athletes. But the Brandenburg buildings have since been stripped of the outer walls, windows and doors and have been left as a shell of cement.
The old baseball venue at the former Hellenikon Olympic complex in Athens is now used as a shelter for refugees and migrants. Dozens of tents are erected behind the fence at the old baseball venue of the former Hellenikon Olympic complex in Athens. The ski lift in Sarajevo that took spectators to the top of the mountain at the 1984 Olympic Games
is now abandoned. Hundreds of unused flagpoles are still erected next to a water feature filled with mud in Athens, Greece. The pool next to the former athlete accommodation in Brandenburg, Germany, has been drained following the 1936 Berlin Games and rust and moss has begun to cover the floors and window panes. At the 2004 Athens Games baseball pitch, the chairs were a vibrant blue and the pitch was covered with lush green grass But now, the Baseball Stadium at the Athen's Hellinikon Olympic complex has slowly been stripped of advertising signage and the grass on the pitch has been left to grow and die. The motto of the 2004 Athens Olympics was 'Welcome Home' and the cost of hosting the Games was estimated to be around $9 billion. Pictured is the abandoned Baseball Stadium at the Hellinikon Olympic complex. The Hellinikon Olympic complex in Athens was once the site for the baseball and softball. Due to Greece's economic frailties post Olympic Games there has been no further investment in the complex. The pool at the Athens Olympic village has filled with mud and rubbish and the walls have been
graffitied by vandals. The former Olympic Village in Athens, Greece, has been reduced to rubble from neglect. In 2004, the Athens stadium was filled with tens of thousands of people for the Olympic opening ceremony, but the stadium has since been abandoned
In Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the disused ski-jumping course from the Winter Olympics threatens to collapse (right) from decomposition, but was teeming with athletes and spectators in 1956 (left). In 1956, thousands donned coast and beanies to watch the athletes fly down the ski jump in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. But now the Cortina jump is abandoned and the base is used as a soccer pitch. Grass and weeds has begun to grow between the stands at the Athens Canoe and Slalom Centre at the Hellinikon Olympic complex. Most of chairs in the stands at the Hellenikon Olympic complex in Athens have been torn off and rust has settled in. The 1936 Olympic village in Elstal, west of Berlin, housed over 4000 athletes and the pool has been left to fill with leaf-litter. The disused bobsled track from the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympic Games on Trebevic mountain is
now a target of frequent vandalism. The Sarajevo ski jump was used in the 1984 Winter Games and has since been left to fill with dirt, sticks and weeds.
Vancouver was very aware of the criticism of past Olympic games, especially those about housing built specifically for athletes which is often left unused and even abandoned after the games. As part of their proposal, they had a plan to ensure that this wasn’t the case in their city. As with any plan, however, they found that it wasn’t as easily accomplished as they may have thought.
For more information about the plan for the Olympic Village in Vancouver, read the article, “In Vancouver’s Olympic Village, good things come to those who wait”, or check out the information provided by the City of Vancouver.
Often there are symbolic nods to the culture and/or history of the host nation during the Olympic Games. This typically occurs during the opening and closing ceremonies, where traditional practices or stories are shared. It also occurs through the mascots that are created which often represent some aspect of the nation or culture; this includes Quatchi (a sasquatch) and Miga (a sea bear) above, which were inspired by the animals in tales of the First Nations on Canada’s West Coast. They were the mascots of the Vancouver Olympics.
At the same time, we must be aware of cultural appropriation. This occurs when a person or group of people use elements of a culture to which they don’t belong. For example, the question must be asked whether the West Coast First Nations groups had any say in the selection of these mascots and in determining how they were presented to the world, or whether they were ‘culturally appropriated’.
For more information about the Olympic mascots through the years, read the article, “A Look Back at the Olympic Mascots: 2000s - 2010s”.
A screencapture of a tweet by Pieter vd Hoogenband which shows a selfie of a man on a stand-up paddleboard in the water surrounded by floating trash with the caption “Great conditions.. #Rio2016” .
For more information about the environmental concerns at the Olympic games, check out the article, “Pollution Still Present in Rio 2016 Olympic Venues”.
There are numerous environmental implications connected to an Olympic event. This includes the fossil fuels and carbon footprint expended to transport everyone to the games, the construction of venues, and the litter and environmental degradation that the large crowds can leave behind. The Rio games in 2016 had a number of other environmental ties as well, that began long before the crowds arrived.
However, having the attention of the world can also put pressure on a city to ‘clean up’ their environmental act. No one wants the international media showing images of garbage in the streets, polluted harbours, exhaust-spewing busses and smoggy skies.
An infographic that contains information on the environmental impact of the Rio Games. For example, 17,000 tonnes of waste were produced, and 3.6 million tonnes of CO2 were created. It also details some of the attempts made to be environmentally friendly, such as the use of public transit by 100% of people attending the games and composting programs.
When the media attention of the world is focused on a single event, there are always positive and negative news stories, and from these, viewers around the world are left to form an opinion about the host city and country.
Often, this is a learning opportunity for viewers to see famous places and beautiful landscapes, and to be introduced to cultural practices from around the world.
Sometimes, however, these issues are not always as reported, as this Washington Post article explains.