22 Ambitious Stadiums Left Behind by the Future They Were Built For

2. Athens Olympic Stadium (Greece) – The Ghost of the 2004 Olympics

When Athens was awarded the 2004 Olympics, Greece went all out—renovating its Olympic Stadium into a modern masterpiece with a stunning steel-and-glass roof designed by Santiago Calatrava. But after the games, the cost of maintaining the stadium became too much for Greece’s struggling economy, and by 2010, it was falling apart. Weeds grow through the cracks of the track, graffiti covers the walls, and what was meant to be a symbol of Greek revival has become a crumbling ghost of the past. Opened: 1982 | Renovated for the 2004 Olympics | Abandoned: 2010