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
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
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.
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
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
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.
