What really happened to those glistening former Winter Olympic sites?

[Highway Star]

http://www.benkar.se/glomdarum/galleri/Utomlands/Bosnien/RuntSarajevo/

 

[Wavewheeler]

Sapporo Japan, 1972

This looks like the hotel I stayed in at Hunter last year. I'm not kidding.

 

[Highway Star]

They turned this one into a water park!

http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/play/beijings-watercube-water-park-now-open-040746

 

[hiroto]

I got curious and searched around a little bit regarding the state of the remains of Nagano (1998).
They seems to be doing well in this regard that everything are still in use or repurposed.
For example, main stadium was converted into baseball field.

Even the bobsleigh/luge course still remain in use:

Spiral (bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton)

 

[twinplanx]

Kind of sad to see, what was once, such beautiful and functional facilities falling into disrepair. It just seems that a lot of these places they build these facilities don't have the native populations (or tourists) available to support them after the Olympics. You would think with the history of these places falling into disrepair and unused, a city like Sochi would realize what ultimately is going to happen to them.

Renements of the '69 Worlds Fair still reach towards the sky in Flushing, Queens. The big globe is obviously a great photo opp, but the towers and there (rotating?) discs have been decaying for decades... :-(

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[Glenn]

Some pretty crazy pictures. Amazing all the build up, then things rot. Sarajevo is certainly in a much different situation though.

 

[mlctvt]

Some of ours isn't much better. I remember about 10 years ago mountain biking through the area that hosted the 1980 Olympic cross country ski and biathlon events. Everything was crumbling into the earth, the stands, scoreboard, awards stands etc. I didn't have a camera or cell phone with me but I wish I took photos.
I remembered watching the events on TV. It was very strange to be there with no another person around ,just my wife and I on our bikes standing there in silence.

of course the Stadium and ski jumps are still in great shape and used today!

Kinda sad to see these great places in ruins

 

[billski]

Beijing

 

[billski]

Check this out. Hitler's "Peace Village" 1936 Olympics,Berlin

 

[AdironRider]

I take the Berlin photo of the pool with a grain of salt. There are few natatoriums built in the 30's that haven't aged hard, if they are still in use at all.

Also, pool design has changed remarkably, that design is slow and useless, hence its dilapidation.

 

[billski]

Athens

 

[billski]

I take the Berlin photo of the pool with a grain of salt. There are few natatoriums built in the 30's that haven't aged hard, if they are still in use at all.

Also, pool design has changed remarkably, that design is slow and useless, hence its dilapidation.

That's not the point. That it was left to crumble is a shame.

 

[Edd]

That's not the point. That it was left to crumble is a shame.

Point had been hammered home, I think. Everyone bummed out yet?

 

[AdironRider]

That's not the point. That it was left to crumble is a shame.

Do you know anything about competitive swimming, pool design, and the costs associated to maintain? This pool is useless outside of being a really large bathtub, that would cost six figures a year (1-200k minimum, possibly more) to maintain even it was in perfect shape.

Theres no justification to maintain a property like that just so Billski feels warm and fuzzy inside.

 

[catsup948]

Putin probably lined some pockets to get Sochi for 2014. Huge excuse to upgrade everything. Trains, roads, telecommunications, lodging chair lifts everything is being upgraded. This is all being done by a country with a ton of internal and external problems. This sounds a lot like Beijing!

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[Sick Bird Rider]

The Sarajevo bobsled track is still usable, for some people:

 

[BenedictGomez]

The IOC is seemingly all about winter sites you've likely never heard of before (but have some Über rich egotistical maniac pushing their bid/bribe) and summer sites in places that you've heard of, but often garner a reaction of "really??"

That's about the best I've heard it described.

I think the 2018 Olympics in Korea will be the opposite of this trend since the country is still in phenomenal growth, especially skiing.

I guarantee North Korea is going to do something uber friggin' crazy for purpose of bribe, future leverage, or just to say, "hey, look at us, we're HERE!".

Renements of the '69 Worlds Fair still reach towards the sky in Flushing, Queens.

64. The Mets won the World series in 69.

 

[marebear]

Very interesting thread. Visited Lake Placid 2 years ago. It was awesome to see the ski jumping and freestyle training facilities still in use. Lots of Olympic history to drink in, but cant imagine the small,quaint main street in town handling the hugeness of current games. I did the tourist Bobsled "run". 1/2 mile in 40 seconds. Really was exciting!

 

[twinplanx]

64. The Mets won the World series in 69.

That just makes it worse.
FIFTY YEARS those structures have been sitting there rotting away. The city of NY should be shamed into action...


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[BenedictGomez]

Very interesting thread. Visited Lake Placid 2 years ago. It was awesome to see the ski jumping and freestyle training facilities still in use. Lots of Olympic history to drink in, but cant imagine the small,quaint main street in town handling the hugeness of current games.

Which is why Lake Placid will never host an Olympic games again. Not enough hotel/motel space and nonexistent transportation.

Though I should never say never - the proper sum of under-the-table bribe money and blowjobs can work Olympic magic.