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Every four years, the world's best athletes gather for their chance at gold in the Olympic Games. For only a few short weeks, these Olympic communities are bustling, playing host to droves of athletes and providing the structures they need to compete, eat, and sleep in. For each Olympic Games, millions of dollars are spent constructing stadiums, swimming pools, living quarters, and more for this very reason.
But what happens to these structures once the games have concluded? Some Olympic villages have been converted to university housing developments, private residences, and shopping plazas. Others, however, have fallen into disarray, forever frozen in time. Below, browse through some of the most hauntingly beautiful photos of abandoned Olympic venues from decades past.
2 Berlin, 1936
Athlete House
3 Sochi, 2014
Olympic Stadium
4 Sarajevo, 1984
Olympic Rings on Ski Jump
5 Beijing, 2008
BMX Track
6 Berlin, 1936
Olympic Village
7 Athens, 2004
Hellinikon Olympic Complex
8 Beijing, 2008
Olympic Mascot
9 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 1936
Bobsleigh Track
10 Athens, 2004
Canoe/Kayak Stadium
11 Athens, 2004
Beach Volleyball Stadium
12 Berlin, 1936
Event Space
13 Turin, 2006
Olympic Village
14 Athens, 2004
Hockey Stadium
15 Rio, 2016
Olympic Aquatics Stadium
16 Atlanta, 1996
Centennial Olympic Park
18 Berlin, 1936
Swim Hall
19 Sarajevo, 1984
Bobsled Track
21 Beijing, 2008
Olympic Mascot
22 Sarajevo, 1984
Ski Jump
23 Athens, 2004
Beach Volleyball Stadium
24 Moscow, 1980
Linnahall Multipurpose Venue
25 Athens, 2004
Softball Stadium
26 Sarajevo, 1984
Zetra Olympic Hall
27 Cortina, 1944 (Rescheduled to 1956)
Ski Jump
29 Sarajevo, 1984
Bobsleigh Track
30 Athens, 2004
Baseball Stadium
Janaya Wecker Lifestyle Editor Janaya is a Lifestyle Editor for Hearst Magazines.
Nathalie Kirby Associate Editor of Content Strategy Nathalie is the Associate Editor of Content Strategy at House Beautiful where she covers everything from home decor to the latest news.
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