Go for Gold: Abandoned Olympic Venues

Have you ever heard of the Olympic hangover? It’s a lot like a regular hangover, really. You wake up with an empty bank account, a big ‘ol mess, and a bit of a headache. Metaphorically and even sometimes literally, Olympic hosting nations are often left in an awkward stadium-sized conundrum after the torch leaves town.

Leading up to the Games, host countries pour billions of dollars in to infrastructure, building stadiums to accommodate the wide variety of incoming events. Not only are these Olympic venues incredibly expensive, but they’re also flat-out unnecessary in the long term.

Today on Travelversed, we explore the world of unused, dust-filled venues that have been left abandoned in the wake of Olympic Games. On your mark, get set… oh, false start. Let’s move along anyways.

Olympic Canoe and Kayak Slalom Center – Athens

Greece hosted the Olympics in 2004 and did so with great pride and vigor. They spent roughly $11 billion on their preparations! Though the 2004 Games went swimmingly, they were followed by years of economic downturn, unemployment, and mismanaged assets. Though the Greek economy is beginning to turn itself around, the old Olympic stadiums are low on the priority list.

A lot of the once bustling venues have fallen in to disrepair, but the most staggering transformation of them all has to be the Olympic canoe and kayak slalom center in Athens. It’s safe to say that its gold medal days have long passed.

Image via Daily Mail