These Abandoned Olympic Venues Prove the Games Are a Giant Waste of Money

Hosting the Olympics means footing the bill for the world's biggest sporting event and living with the consequences for a generation. Beijing spent $40 billion to play host in 2008, only to see many of its venues languish. The $51 billion bill Russia footed for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi had fleeting returns at best; its once-gleaming Olympic park quickly became a ghost town after the Games. And don't forget Rio -- the city's high hopes for its stadiums dashed when the international spotlight packed up and left after the 2016 Sumer Games.
PyeongChang's $13 billion expense to host this year's Winter Olympics might seem frugal in light of the gargantuan bids from the recent past. But photos of former Olympic venues in their current states show what the future might have in store when the dust settles in South Korea.

Aquatic Center
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2016 Summer Olympics
Ski Jump Tower
Cortina D'ampezzo, Italy
1956 Winter Olympics
Bobsled Track
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
1984 Winter Olympics

Baseball Stadium
Athens, Greece
2004 Summer Olympics

Olympic Village
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
1984 Winter Olympics

Ski Jump Tower
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
1984 Winter Olympics
Beach Volleyball Venue
Beijing, China
2008 Summer Olympics
Main Swimming Pool
Athens, Greece
2004 Summer Olympics
Swimming Pool
Berlin, Germany
1936 Summer Olympics
Olympic Sports Complex
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
1984 Winter Olympics

Training Pool
Athens, Greece
2004 Summer Olympics
Ski Jumping Tower
Grenoble, France
1968 Winter Olympics

Central Stadium
Sochi, Russia
2014 Winter Olympics
Canoe and Kayak Slalom Center
Athens, Greece
2004 Summer Olympics

Bobsled Track
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovenia
1984 Winter Olympics
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