Athens’ Olympic venues in ruins ten years after the games
Ten years ago the XXVIII Olympiad was held in Athens from the 13th – 29th August with the motto “Welcome Home”. The cost of hosting the games was estimated to be approximately 9 billion euros with the majority of sporting venues built specifically for the games. Due to Greece’s economic frailties post Olympic Games there has been no further investment and the majority of the newly constructed stadiums now lie abandoned.
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- Kerri Walsh of United States celebrates defeating Adriana Behar and Bede Shelda of Australia in the women’s gold medal Beach Volleyball match on August 24, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre at the Faliro Coastal Zone Complex in Athens, Greece. USA won 21-17, 21-11. (Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Beach Volleyball Olympic Stadium at Faliro Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- Kerri Walsh and Misty May of United States celebrate defeating Adriana Behar and Bede Shelda of Brazil in the women’s gold medal Beach Volleyball match on August 24, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre at the Faliro Coastal Zone Complex in Athens, Greece. USA won 21-17, 21-11. (Ian Waldie/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Beach Volleyball Olympic Stadium at Faliro Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Beach Volleyball Olympic Stadium at Faliro Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- Michael Marchesano #36 of Italy delivers a pitch against Australia during the baseball preliminary game on August 17, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Baseball Centre in the Helliniko Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece. (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Baseball Stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- The Cuba bench celebrates as two runs score against Australia in the gold medal baseball game on August 25, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Baseball Centre in the Helliniko Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Baseball Stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- Chris Oxspring #35 of Australia pitches to Atsushi Fujimoto #25 of Japan in the baseball semifinal game on August 24, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Baseball Centre in the Helliniko Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece. (Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Baseball Stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- Rachel Schill #6 of Canada runs in to make a play during their game against Greece during the preliminary softball game on August 15, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Softball Stadium in the Helliniko Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece. Greece won 2-0. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Softball stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- Cassandra Cardinal and Sara Hildebrand of the USA competes in the women’s synchronized diving 10 metre platform event on August 16, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Aquatic Centre Indoor Pool at the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. ( Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Aquatic Center in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Aquatic Center in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- Athletes train during the first day of the ICF World Cup Canoe/Kayak Slalom Racing at the Hellinikon Olympic Complex in Athens, 08 July 2005. (Aris Messinis/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom Center at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom Center at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom Center at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom Center at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- Athletes and delegation members relax by the pool at the Olympic village in Athens 10 August 2004. (Javier Soriano/Getty Images)
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- General view of a swimming pool in the former Olympic Village in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the former Olympic Village in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- The Olympics velodrome is reflected in a fountain 10 August 2004 in Athens. A Greek judge is to rule on whether a high-tech surveillance zeppelin should be allowed to remain airborne above Athens after a rights group asked a court to ground it, alleging it invades people’s privacy, three days before the beginning of the 2004 Olympic Games. (Joel Sagat/Getty Images)
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- General view of the former Olympic Village in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- A dog jumps to a fountain in front of the Olympic stadium in Athens to cool itself as temperatures rose to 39 degrees in the city, 13 August 2005. Hundreds of tourists, children and adults visited the main Athens Olympic complex to take part in activities to celebrate the the Games’ first birthday anniversary (Louisa Gouliamaki /Getty Images)
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- General view of the Taekwondo Olympic Stadium at Faliro Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- Unidentified members of the Japanese Olympic team walk 10 August 2004 inside the in Olympic Village in Athens, three days before the beginning of the 2004 Olympic Games. (Franck Fife/Getty Images)
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- General view of the former Olympic Village in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- Greece plays the Czech Republic during an Athens 2004 Softball Test Event at the brand new Helliniko Olympic Complex on March 26, 2004 in Athens, Greece. The complex is built on the site of the old airport. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Softball stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of a swimming pool in the former Olympic Village in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic rings at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of derelict stands at the Olympic Baseball Stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Aquatic Center in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Baseball Stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of derelict stands at the Olympic Baseball Stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Baseball Stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view outside the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of derelict buildings at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Hockey Stadium scoreboard at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Hockey Stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view at Faliro Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the former Olympic Village in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view at the Faliro Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view at the Olympic Athletic Center in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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- General view of the Olympic Baseball Stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
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Urban Ghosts10 Abandoned Sports Stadiums & Crumbling Arenas of the World - Urban Ghosts
Jul 23, 2015 @ 14:07:35
[…] other Olympic venues suffered a similar fate. A 2014 report uncovered photos of swimming pools emptied of water and filled with trash, of bleachers missing […]
glenn
Jul 23, 2015 @ 08:05:12
This happens at the every Olympics the Tax Payers pay Millions and Millions of Dollars for Stadiums which will only be used for 1 or 2 weeks. Then normally they are taken down. Beach Volley Ball the the Sydney Olympics how much money did it cost to put up those stands for a few days.
Petros
Aug 14, 2014 @ 02:37:11
So much misinformation here.
“The majority of the newly constructed stadiums now lie abandoned”
That’s so dumb. Anyone who lives in Greece and follows sports knows that this is not even close to true. The only ones that don’t get use are the field hockey (has seen use for soccer) canoe-kayak, beach volleyball (was used in the beginning), softball, and baseball (though this was used for soccer for a good part of the last ten years, it is no longer used), and the diving pool at the aquatic center (the swimming and water polo pools are still used). Everything else is used. All six of the indoor arenas (although some see more use than others, they’re still all in decent condition), all soccer stadiums, the main Olympic stadium, rowing center, badminton (used for concerts and theatre performances), cycling, tennis, shooting, equestrian, weightlifting (used for lectures for a local university instead of weightlifting), etc. Basicslly most of the stadiums are still in use so don’t publish stuff without doing your RESEARCH!! Yes it’s a shame that a few aren’t used but when softball and field hockey are unknown in Greece then not much can be done!
Jason
Aug 13, 2014 @ 13:41:30
Sad that it would come to this in such short time. How could a place like that be left to go to waste?
anon
Aug 13, 2014 @ 12:51:31
Who is writing these captions? “General view of _______.” Thanks, I was worried it might be a specific view instead of a general one.
Glauber
Aug 13, 2014 @ 11:47:18
Aaaaaaaand this is what Rio has to look forward to. In both Greece and Brazil it’s corruption that built these venues, just to line a few well-positioned pockets. What happens to it all afterward is not their problem.
GodSaysSo
Aug 13, 2014 @ 11:38:34
The comments here are so sad. Has anyone here ever been to Greece?
Alex-Wanderlust Marriage
Aug 13, 2014 @ 11:31:22
This is a compelling piece. I wish the Athens Games had brought as much success to that city as it has to Barcelona when they hosted in 1992. Athens gets tourists of course, but not as many as Barcelona. Watching the diving event of the 92′ games (where you could see the city in the backdrop) as a 14 year old, made me vow I would visit Barcelona one day, and I have as an adult, 3 times. And as a Greek American, I’ve also spent a lot of time in Athens.
A bright spot for Greece hosting the Games is the updating and extensions of metro lines and the brand new international airport. We live in Boston now and most Americans would be shocked to know that Greece has a far nicer subway system than the crumbling one in Boston that rattles our building.
Sad as this is, there’s loads of problems and wastelands in America too.
Paul C
Aug 13, 2014 @ 11:22:34
OK. First off I worked for the government putting on the Olympics. I know way more about what went on behind the scenes than you.
Second. The venues you show are for sports NO ONE participates in, no one plays baseball or white water kayaks. Those venues were never meant to be used again, really. The land was to be developed but financial issues stopped that. The land is right on the coast and would be perfect for housing and/or business.
Third. The IOC never should have given the games to the Greeks in the first place, they couldn’t afford it. But also the external pressure of the US to build a massive and pointless security system added to the wasted money.
The Olympics is a BUSINESS!!!! It has nothing to do with good will and sports. It is a spectacle that is put on to make money for the IOC Corporation. Everyone just thinks it is a great thing and blindly follows along. Wake up and turn it off.
Poly
Aug 08, 2014 @ 02:42:44
Most Olympic venues at other Olympic cities end up the same, or demolished for redevelopment. Only somewhere like Australia, where there is little of cultural significance, sites to see, or things to do – are these types of buildings maintained.