● From our sister site, TheSportsExaminer.com ●
The International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Studies Centre released a fascinating study last week, trying to determine the status and usage of every Olympic venue from the 1896 Athens Games through to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.
The results showed that 923 different venues have been employed for the various Games, with 89% being permanent sites (817) and 11% as temporary (106). Of the 817 permanent sites, 85% are still in use (692), with 15% (124) not in use and information not available on one, the Royal Australian Air Force Station in Melbourne. The report notes:
“Of the 15 per cent of permanent venues not in use (124 venues), the majority (88 venues) were unbuilt or demolished for a variety of reasons. Some had reached the end of their life, some were destroyed during war periods or in accidents, while others were replaced by new urban development projects or were removed for lack of a business model. The remaining venues not in use are closed or abandoned (36 venues).”
So, how did each Games do? Let’s take a look at the Olympic Games to start – saving the Winter Games for later – with the percentage of existing and new sites (not temporary) and the percentage of those still in use:
● 1896 Athens: Existing & new: 87% ~ Still in use: 86%
● 1900 Paris: Existing & new: 80% ~ Still in use: 67%
● 1904 St. Louis: Existing & new: 83% ~ Still in use: 100%
● 1908 London: Existing & new: 93% ~ Still in use: 62%
● 1912 Stockholm: Existing & new: 75% ~ Still in use: 67%
● 1920 Antwerp: Existing & new: 89% ~ Still in use: 59%
● 1924 Paris: Existing & new: 86% ~ Still in use: 63%
● 1928 Amsterdam: Existing & new: 67% ~ Still in use: 50%
● 1932 Los Angeles: Existing & new: 71% ~ Still in use: 90%
● 1936 Berlin: Existing & new: 95% ~ Still in use: 70%
● 1948 London: Existing & new: 97% ~ Still in use: 68%
● 1952 Helsinki: Existing & new: 95% ~ Still in use: 89%
● 1956 Melbourne/Stockholm: Existing & new: 95% ~ Still in use: 72%
● 1960 Rome: Existing & new: 64% ~ Still in use: 81%
● 1964 Tokyo: Existing & new: 84% ~ Still in use: 92%
● 1968 Mexico City: Existing & new: 62% ~ Still in use: 92%
● 1972 Munich: Existing & new: 88% ~ Still in use: 79%
● 1976 Montreal: Existing & new: 88% ~ Still in use: 96%
● 1980 Moscow: Existing & new: 88% ~ Still in use: 78%
● 1984 Los Angeles: Existing & new: 89% ~ Still in use: 92%
● 1988 Seoul: Existing & new: 90% ~ Still in use: 93%
● 1992 Barcelona: Existing & new: 90% ~ Still in use: 94%
● 1996 Atlanta: Existing & new: 90% ~ Still in use: 85%
● 2000 Sydney: Existing & new: 90% ~ Still in use: 96%
● 2004 Athens: Existing & new: 94% ~ Still in use: 75%
● 2008 Beijing: Existing & new: 77% ~ Still in use: 97%
● 2012 London: Existing & new: 77% ~ Still in use: 95%
● 2016 Rio: Existing & new: 80% ~ Still in use: 93%
Who were the construction kings? The Games with the highest percentages of new venues:
1. 62% ~ Athens 2004 (20)
2. 61% ~ Sydney 2000 (18)
3. 56% ~ Rome 1960 (11)
3. 56% ~ Tokyo 1964 (16)
5. 45% ~ Beijing 2008 (18)
6. 44% ~ Barcelona 1992 (16)
7. 43% ~ Seoul 1988 (13)
8. 40% ~ Rio 2016 (13)
9. 38% ~ Berlin 1936 (7)
9. 38% ~ Mexico City 1968 (8)
Athens for 2004 built 20 new sites according to the study, easily the highest total, with Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 following with 18 each.
The recycling champion for venues, not surprisingly, was the 1948 Games in London, still devastated by World War II:
1. 97% ~ London 1948 (28)
2. 86% ~ London 1908 (12)
3. 79% ~ Antwerp 1920 (15)
4. 77% ~ Los Angeles 1984 (20)
5. 76% ~ Paris 1924 (16)
6. 73% ~ Paris 1900 (11)
7. 69% ~ Melbourne/Stockholm 1956 (11)
8. 67% ~ St. Louis 1904 (4)
9. 65% ~ Mexico City 1968 (15)
10. 63% ~ Montreal 1976 (15)
(Some of these percentages do not correspond to those shown in the study, which were incorrect for several Games; the above figures are in line with the written description of each Games in the study.)
In terms of the four Games held in the U.S.:
● 1904 St. Louis: six venues, four of which were existing, one new and one temporary.
● 1932 Los Angeles: 13 total venues, eight existing, two new and three temporary sites. Two of the sites – the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl – were used in 1932, 1984 and are planned for use in 2028!
● 1984 Los Angeles: The report states 26 sites were used, with 20 existing, three new and three temporary sites. The new construction included the McDonald’s Olympic Swim Stadium at USC (still in use), the 7-11 Olympic Velodrome at California State University, Dominguez Hills (now repurposed as the Dignity Health Sports Center) and the Olympic Shooting Range in Chino (still in use).
The only sites “not in use” today are the velodrome and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, which is now the Banc of California Stadium, both of which were torn down to make room for larger sports facilities!
● 1996 Atlanta: 28 sites used, 17 existing, nine new and two temporary. Two major stadia, the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and the Georgia Dome, have both been demolished, as the Braves and Falcons have moved to new venues.
Only one of the new facilities is not in use today; the Stone Mountain Park Tennis Center fell into disrepair and was closed in 2007 and demolished in 2018.
We’ll check out the Winter Games rankings in the future.
~ Rich Perelman
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