The fate of these buildings, stadiums and tracks perhaps reflects on the history and politics of the countries where they took place. The forlorn Olympic village and swimming pool built for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, testify to what happened in Germany following those summer games.

The history of Sarajevo which held the 1984 Winter Olympics is perhaps less well known. Sarajevo, now part of present-day Bosnia-Herzegovina, was at that time part of Yugoslavia. It was the first Winter Olympics held in a Communist state. During the Bosnian war, the city suffered through a siege — the longest of a capital city in the history of modern warfare.

It began on April 5, 1992, and lasted until Feb. 29, 1996. A total of 13,952 people were killed during the 1,425 days of the siege, including 5,434 civilians. The Sarajevo bobsled track was vandalized and used by mountain bikers. The land where the stadium stood is now a graveyard. Meanwhile, the Mount Igman ski jumping course threatens to collapse from decomposition.

Perhaps most alarming is the fate of some of the sites from Athens. Those summer games were held just 12 years ago. Photos show a swimming pool in the former Olympic Village filled with brown, murky water with a sign emblazoned with the motto “Welcome Home” torn in half by vandals. While the site of the Athens Olympic softball and baseball meets is still standing, the pitch has overgrown with brown weeds and the venue is now used as a shelter for refugees and migrants.

Click through the slideshow for images from sites from various summer and winter Olympic games.

Germany