Olympic Stadiums That Now Serve Completely Different Purposes

9. Moscow’s Olympic Village (1980) – Now University Housing

Original Purpose: Housed athletes during the 1980 Moscow Olympics. New Purpose: Converted into dormitories for university students.Unlike many Olympic Villages that have become ghost towns, Moscow found a way to preserve its athlete housing—by converting it into student dormitories for Moscow State University and other educational institutions. After the Games, rather than letting the accommodations deteriorate, the government retrofitted them to support thousands of students from across Russia and beyond. Today, the former Olympic Village functions as student housing, providing affordable accommodation for young academics, researchers, and international exchange students. This transformation has given new purpose to a once-temporary structure, ensuring that future generations benefit from the Olympic investment. The repurposing of these buildings also helped alleviate Moscow’s housing shortage, making it a win-win scenario for the city and its educational institutions.