Haunting images show 2008 Beijing Olympic venues in overgrown ruins ten years on from spectacular Games
IT’S been ten years since the magnificent 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing… and time has not been kind on the once gleaming venues across the Chinese capital.
At the time, China was hailed for staging an incredible show for the entire world to enjoy thanks to a combination of incredible architectural feats and excellent organisation.
President of the International Olympic Committee, Count Rogge, was just won to pile praise on the organisers of the Beijing extravaganza.
Rogge described the Beijing National Stadium as “one of the world’s new wonders” and a “fitting setting for an amazing Opening Ceremony.”
But despite dazzling the globe in 2008, a decade on and the show takes a somewhat sombre turn.
The water-sport parks are now completely dried-up – including the once glittering white-water rafting run, now in absolute ruin.
The beach volleyball stands are now reduced to rust and rotting wood while the once show-stopping BMX track now looks more like a jungle with a rusty sail poking its ugly head through the greenery.
Sprawled across Beijing are more haunting reminders of yesteryear – with mascots including Nini, Yingjing and Beibei lying in tatters across the grounds.
While the impressive Bird’s Nest Stadium is still in use to this day – it would appear to be the only one still going strong.
In fact, the 91,000-seat arena is scheduled to play host to the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Winter Olympic games.
The scenes in China are a far cry from the fallout from the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Now, the Olympic Stadium – now called the London Stadium – plays host to West Ham, as well as a host of major athletics meetings.
The Copper Box Arena is the home of British Basketball League side the London Lions – and is also available to hire to play basketball and badminton or even try your hand at boxing.
The stunning Aquatics Centre still sits proudly opposite the London Stadium, used by the general public and Olympians alike to this very day.
Other venues, such as Dorney Lake – home of the rowing and canoeing – as well as the Lee Valley White Water Centre are still going strong.
However, China is not the only nation to fall foul of the post-Olympics hangover, with Rio De Janeiro suffering a similar fate.
In Brazil, a number of the venues are also in utter disrepair – with their £9BILLION Games legacy in tatters.
It took just six months for the Rio arenas to be completely abandoned, forgotten… now we wait and see how Tokyo deals with its post-Oympics care in 2020.
