Signing on to host the Olympics is a big investment—in both infrastructure and money. The 2012 and 2014 Olympics, for example, each cost upwards of $16 billion to create the various facilities needed for the games. And in many instances, those buildings are ultimately left empty afterward, costing the host city that much more in continuous maintenance and upkeep, or, alternatively, simply being left to decay into the landscape.
Berlin is a perfect example of this; the city hosted the Olympics in 1936 and afterwards, the Olympic Village was left to crumble in the surrounding wilderness. Recently, though, funding has been approved to turn the former athlete residences into new apartments, breathing new life into the 135-acre site.
The buildings that are reused usually continue to operate as originally designed – hosting sporting events. Only occasionally do host cities get more creative. Here are four locations that took a different approach, repurposing their Olympics structures for decidedly less sporty uses.
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/four-olympic-stadiums-unexpected-afterlives-180967817/#VO5DE0AW4HetsCkR.99
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