Olympics 2021: Abandoned Games venues that time has forgotten
Hosting the Olympics can cost countries billions of dollars.
New stadiums need to be built, the Olympians need an athletes village to stay in, and new infrastructure is always required for spectators.
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So when the dust settles and everyone goes home, Olympic Games venues are often abandoned and left to wrack and ruin.
Some of the most iconic Olympic Games venues in modern history now look like barren wastelands.
From Sarajevo in 1984 to Rio in 2016, take a look at some of the stunning images of abandoned venues that time has forgotten.
1984 Olympics - Sarajevo
Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina played host to the Winter Olympics in 1984.
But less than 10 years later, most of the Games' venues were destroyed in Bosnia's war between 1992 and 1995.
A ski jump, accommodation for athletes and a number of hotels have been left in ruins and never rebuilt.
One of the podiums was reportedly used as a place to execute Bosnian Muslims, while a hotel has since been turned into a prison.
2004 Olympics - Athens
Greece reportedly spent $11.9 billion on hosting the Olympics in 2004 - 108 years after first doing so in 1896.
But the country's well-documented economic crises have meant a number of venues have been left to rot.
The official Games village is now covered in graffiti and completely trashed, with no money to invest in rebuilding.
2008 Olympics - Beijing
The Beijing Olympics reportedly cost over $47 billion, but you can't really tell 13 years later.
A beach volleyball stadium is disused and dilapidated, while grass now covers the sand.
Some of the official Games mascots were later spotted lying among trees behind an abandoned, never-completed mall.
Countless blocks of ancient homes were also bulldozed in an building frenzy before the Games.
2016 Olympics - Rio
Rio's Olympic Aquatics stadium now looks completely dilapidated after plans to demolish it fell through.
The Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro is completely abandoned, except for the stray dogs that are often spotted roaming around.
Basketball courts, football fields and a skate park that were installed for locals to enjoy after the Games are now completely disused.
A judge has since ordered the closure of the Olympic Park due to safety concerns.
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