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Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This Is What China’s $40B Investment Looks Like

Okay, to be fair, not all of the $40 billion dollars worth of infrastructure that went into the 2008 Beijing Olympics has been abandoned or destroyed (for instance, they still get some mileage out of that “Bird’s Nest” thing), but, good grief, they’ve allowed an awful lot of it to fall by the wayside.

Like all things abandoned in China, the following photos have a certain creepiness to them. However, more than just creepy, they’re also kind of depressing.

See, unlike China’s empty malls or centrally-planned ghost towns, these Olympics venues weren’t always hollow shells. They were once massive and meticulously orchestrated affairs, exploding with life. Now they’re as cold and lifeless as the system of government that runs that country.

Anyway, that’s how we feel about it [and you should too].

Here are some “before” and “after” photos of China’s Olympic venues [via Yahoo's Erick Galindo]:

Fire Works Over the “Bird’s Nest”

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeFireworks during opening ceremony rehearsals

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeYes, those are workers picking trash out of the canal

The Water Cube

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeThis was used for the swimming and diving portion of the Olympics

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeAnd now it looks like something from Ridley Scott’s “Alien“

Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeThis park is located just north of Beijing

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeGood Lord …

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeLooking good.

The Beijing Baseball Stadium

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeLush and green

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeGo ahead and tell me this doesn’t look bad. Please, I look forward to it.

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeMaybe it’s trick photography, right?

The 2008 BMX cycling competition

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeNot too bad, right?
Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeYikes.

Britain Celebrates

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeLights, lights everywhere
Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeDecrepit

6. The Volleyball Stadium

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikePreparing for the next round

Decrepit: Four Years After Hosting the Beijing Olympics, This is What Chinas $40B Investment Looks LikeTotally abandoned

Click here to see more of the slideshow.

This story has been updated.

Comments (188)

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  • Tankertony
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 9:26am

    I served in a border unit along the east german/czechoslavakian border when the wall fell in 89′. Me and my buddies used the opportunity to visit E. Germany and E. Berlin.

    This is what the whole damn country looked like. Grey, dreary, dilapidated, dead. Parts of E. Berlin and Leipzig still had bombed out ruins from WWII! The people drove this little pollution-spewing jokes of a car. (those who could afford one, lucky them)

    This is what socialism/statism produces—–inferior, self-centered people, inferior societies. I know what God and freedom produces.

    Get that socialism.rocks and all you other leftist trolls? Keep spouting your ‘progressive’ drivel about how taking from the rich and giving to the poor, making things ‘fair’, etc. will create a better world. You won’t find many takers on this site.

    We‘ll fight you to the death to make sure your ’progressive‘ cancer doesn’t turn America into E. Germany.

    Report Post » Tankertony  
    • Treaty
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 9:47am

      Yup, and all of those empty cities. Bought to you courtesy of Walmart.

      Report Post » Treaty  
    • Bum thrower
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 9:48am

      I agree, but unfortuantely too many Americans have not been paying attention,and the school system has turned the latest generation into the ‘gimme’ guys………….BUT maybe there is hope(?)…but not for ‘progressive “change”’

      Report Post »  
    • itsjustgigi
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 9:49am

      Thanks for your spot-on comment Tony. I, too, have lived outside the US and witnessed the after-effects of socialism. It should be required that if you want to be a socialist/marxist/communist in this country you must FIRST live in one. I suspect that would rendure a 99% cure in stamping out liberalism in this country. Of course, you’d still have that 1% who’d want to reign the supreme over the rest of us. Wake up America. This is the direction the liberal agenda is taking us!!!

      Report Post » itsjustgigi  
    • mils
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 9:57am

      courtesy of WalMart?…No…courtesy of a country steeped in socialism/communism…right where Obama wants us to be..
      Seriously, we look for a disturbance before the election this fall to postpone the vote. It would right on course for Obama’s banana republic to be..

      Report Post »  
    • 1proudAmerican
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 10:09am

      @ Bum Thrower Unions control the education system and teachers. If we get rid of the unions, we can have teachers that actual teach instead of create future socialists. They’ve had an agenda for a long, long time and it’s working. We need to take back America!

      Report Post »  
    • D-Fence
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 10:20am

      About 15 years back I drove through Allentown, PA. That place was half boarded up. Steel companies couldn’t compete with cheap overseas labor. Politicians and their Unions base made us uncompetitive. That’s what happens when government runs industry.

      Report Post » D-Fence  
    • mastice
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 10:27am

      @tony

      Very well said!

      Report Post » mastice  
    • TH30PH1LUS
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 10:47am

      American soil is being sold to China so they can build cities HERE. “Special economic zones” – will you stand by and do nothing as our soveriegn land is handed over?

      http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20110613000070&cid=1102

      http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/china-wants-to-construct-a-50-square-mile-self-sustaining-city-south-of-boise-idaho

      http://farmwars.info/?p=6247

      Report Post » TH30PH1LUS  
    • theamericanvision
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 10:47am

      All this courtesy of communism! In a free market, the private sector would have seen the potential of profit for use of these centers and put them to work. Look at Salt Lake City; ten years after their winter games and the venue’s are still clean, vibrant and used daily.

      Report Post » theamericanvision  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 10:47am

      Dang Tony, you should run for office. I would vote for you!

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • Roberto G. Vasquez
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 11:19am

      @ TREATY

      WalMart is to blame for Communism? You haven’t got a clue brother. I’ve been to a communist country too, and it sucked! Reminded me of an Indian reservation I’ve been to in AZ.

      Report Post »  
    • hayesstephen
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 11:46am

      Thank you Tankertony. Our country is in the hands of minorities an illegal voters. The mob will always vote themselves circus’s and bread. The politicians will always pander to them and the end of our Glorious Republic is now at hand. Those who clammer for free everything are the future slaves of the system, the hopeless poor, no hope of improving their miserable lives, living in conditions that will make the Detroit look like Las Vegas. The very people who comprise the 1% trash will be the first to be put to work, I should say, forced to work, I would love to see that day. Yahweh God forgive my country from turning away from you. I’m a Christian. However I do believe that Buddhist and other Religions that promote love of neighbor, of respect for others have my respect and I value my brother and sisters of any Religion who loves and not hates, nor wants to kill those who do not agree with them. Oh yes of course I’m talking about Muslims. Its not a religion of peace both of death and terror. Tanker thank you for your service to our once Great Nation, the Grandest Country who has ever been. God Bless the U.S.A and Israel and our people.

      Report Post »  
    • SavvyCowboy
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 11:56am

      @Tankertony – communism/socialism/statism always equals decrepit countryside. Like any oligarchy, there are an elite few with all the money and power – much like our leftist demoncrats crave.

      And speaking of leftists, @Treaty you are drunk on kommie-kool-aid. Head straight to Pyongyang on the first thing smokin’!! (No – not bill clinton’s bong either)

      Report Post » SavvyCowboy  
    • ohboyohboy
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 11:58am

      The June 2004 Swedish Timbro Institute study (http://www.timbro.se/bokhandel/pdf/9175665646.pdf) observed:

      “Poverty is a highly relative concept. As we saw in the preceding section, for example, 40 per cent of all Swedish households would rank among low-income households in the USA, and an even greater number in the poorer European countries would be classed as low income earnings by the American definition.”

      “What does it mean to be poor in the USA? Major living standard surveys carried out in the USA at regular intervals show the poor to have a surprisingly high standard of living.”

      See Table 3:2. (percentages of items poverty-level households own in USA):
      Home ownership 45.9%
      Car 72.8%
      2 or more cars 30.2%

      “Another indicator of the relatively good material standard of living among the American poor can be obtained by comparing dwelling space among poor households in the USA with average dwelling space in Europe (in other words all Europeans, not just their poverty level population). Adjusting for size of household, one finds that poor households in the USA have slightly more dwelling space than the average European. The average American household has a home that is 80 per cent larger than its average European counterpart. Europeans, in other words, are more crowded in an American perspective.”

      All of Europe/average 395.7
      USA poor households/1993/average 438.6
      USA all households/1993/average 721.2

      There’s a lot more, but space prohib

      Report Post »  
    • CivilWarrior
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 12:09pm

      @TREATY

      YOU ******** ARE SOOOOO SMART!!!! How do you even manage to walk around while holding up that BIG, HUGE brain of yours???

      HEY!!! I GOT ONE FOR YOU!!!!

      WALMART… BROUGHT TO YOU BY BILL CLINTON’S GATT AND NAFTA TREATIES

      …Imbecile.

      Report Post »  
    • CivilWarrior
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 12:12pm

      Liberals love to forget about BILL CLINTON’S GATT AND NAFTA TREATIES which empowered criminal corporations like WalMart.

      If there was no BILL CLINTON… there would have never been OUTSOURCING…. BOTTOM LINE.

      You liberal idiots can’t even argue about that FACT!

      Report Post »  
    • missieb2000
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 12:23pm

      @ treaty- contrary to union speak Walmart isn’t the death knoll of local commerce. Walmart has adapted to the business needs of people, local stores in town have not. If I need sponges, paint and ice cream @ 9:30 pm- I go where the store is open. Not the hardware store that keeps bankers hours-but the place that will sell me what I need when I need it. I’m no big fan (having worked there for 10+ years) but Walmart adapted. Local stores haven’t and still wonder why they are failing.

      Report Post »  
    • Patriot of My America
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 12:29pm

      Well my friend we already have the picture you have described here in America, just look to Chicago, then to Detroit, There you will see the affects of Statist socialism. Entire blocks of both once thriving cities are in ruin and decaying. And now entire city block are being razed and hauled to the land fill.
      Not only are the cities in disrepair so are the citizens, Once being gainfully employed and having pride in themselves and their cities are now on welfare, have no possible prospects for attaining a job and look to the socialist federal and state governments for all their needs. It starts with housing that is provided by “ section 8 ” a federal program. It also provides food support. That is called WIC from the state to EBT which is federal. EBT or SNAP offers food and cash to welfare citizens. If Obummer is not defeated in 116 days our nation is doomed as he is already planning what more he can do to absolutely destroy our Republic. GBA

      Report Post »  
    • Blazebanned
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 12:30pm

      And enciloon (encinom) was bragging about chinas infrastructure the other day……

      Report Post »  
    • midwesthippie
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 12:37pm

      …and America is better how?…have you seen the subways in NYC? have you seen detroit? cleveland? our southern border? have you heard about the high speed rail obama wants to build in california to pump $$$ into the unions and the bankrupt state? have you seen the parts of florida where foreclosures are at an all time high and economic development is at an all time low?…i can take my camera around the good ole USA and find plenty of damning evidence of our own mismanagement…

      Report Post » midwesthippie  
    • yankeeredneck
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 12:51pm

      Tanker Tony’s absolutely right. When I was in the Air Force, stationed in Berlin in the 1970′s, we used to take the “duty train”, an overnight military train, to Frankfurt or Bremerhaven. In the summer, when the sun came up at 4:30, you could see much of East Germany, with its unpainted houses and chemical factories spewing out acrid, yellow smoke and the rampant decrepitude everywhere. It was depressing. East Berlin, where we were allowed to go with permission and in uniform, was the showplace of the Communist world and it was a hellhole, by our standards.

      Report Post »  
    • DEMOCRATS.ARE.EVIL
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 12:52pm

      Appears Obama’s vision of Utopia is a fraud and a nightmare after all. A step up from Kenya, though?

      Report Post » DEMOCRATS.ARE.EVIL  
    • Constructionist
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 1:22pm

      TankerTony,
      You are spot-on about the ‘grey’ of communism/socialism. I was also in Germany when the wall fell. My position took me to various locations in Russia, Ukraine, Belorus, etc.

      There was a societal depression that actually seemed to suck the vividness out of color itself. Every single thing seemed to be some shade of a depressing grey. It‘s one of those moments in life that you can’t really verbally describe to other people who have not witnessed it themselves. But know this, East Germany was considered ‘the jewel’ of the communist empire. It was like Disney World compared to the rest of the old Soviet Union.

      Years ago, I saw a high-ranking communist party official come to America for the first time. He walked into a grocery store and broke down in tears. When he saw the abundance that the American economic system offered to even the lowest levels of society, he realized that everything he had ever been taught or believed in was an utter lie.

      In Moscow, most store shelves were bare. People would see a 2-hour line outside a store and jump in the queue, assuming that the line must mean that they had ‘something’ for sale. When available, meat was sold unwrapped, unrefrigerated, lying on top of a piece of dirty cardboard along the sidewalk by street vendors.

      Report Post » Constructionist  
    • Alky
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 1:54pm

      @mils..”Seriously, we look for a disturbance before the election this fall to postpone the vote.”

      If Obama feels he can’t win the election, he will definitely postpone the elections with some crisis. There‘s no chance he’s giving up power when he’s so close to getting all his ducks in a row and imposing utopia on everyone!

      Report Post » Alky  
    • G-WHIZ
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 2:06pm

      The only great thing in the whole trashed mess was the yellow lab-dog. He at least was in good condition. This makes this travesty of cheepChineese “good-for-now” non-construction of paper-meche’ and boards and cardboard look even worse…healthy-happy-dog and peutrid-rotted-corps’es of near-past “look-nice” creations! WERTHEPEOPLE have the Museum of Science&Industry and ALL the associated structures of the Columbian Exposition(1930′s), and they still look like new and are continuously visited by many from U.S.A. and all over the world … still!! WE took the$$ and care to reconstruct-in-stone each building and as technollogies improved, so does OUR exibits!! WE still have OUR [SPACE-NEEDLE in Seatle,Washington,U.S.A. and it still is a great restaurant and quality item for the state….TODAY!! China just lets them turn into LESS-THAN crapp! Just think of the billions of visitors they would have if (they say they need lotsa jobs) they built it alittle better and kept-it-up for millions of visitors each year. Their college-students could have kept-up the “events” as part of their “extra-cericcular-activities” for scollarships,etc. It would be annother Disenyland, except without the fanticy-crapp with real compettition-events year-round, changeing as the seasons and years change! But allass, China has no outa-the-box thinkers. All of China will eventually look like that…when trough, just tossit and leave it…oh–well. (;-(

      Report Post »  
    • warzone
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 2:07pm

      This is what a second Obama term wold do to America.

      Report Post »  
    • AmazingGrace8
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 2:18pm

      @tanker & others & @ a message to Constructionist

      Great posts. @Constructionist, I read with interest your descriptions of what you have seen and my heart jumped alittle as I read your words because you have so much compassion when you describe various “regular-living”. There are many great posts here on the Blaze & thank you Blaze for this story because we all can talk about “high-minded” ideals but getting down to the nitty-gritty how other societies that live with “tyranny”, hopeless situations that most Americans take for granite here in our “dwindling-pros-per-ness”. God help us! Wake up America. We are fools to re-elect the current admin. because it will be our “doom-ness” (new word) Rush has been talking about Obama taking a chainsaw to the welfare/job description….many people will vote for Obama because of this and HE KNOWS THAT. The rest of us….vote wisely in November. Our lives & well-being of this nation & future generations will depend on how we vote in November. God help us!

      Report Post »  
    • LetUsReason
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 2:18pm

      To be fair, before pics are not the same angle (or even location) as the after. It would be more interesting to compare the same shots from then and now. Either way, those big unused stadiums should at least be filled with water and stocked with fish.

      Report Post »  
    • kbreedlove50
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 2:36pm

      Yeah, I was there, too (in tanks at one time) and got to go east after the wall came down. It’s incredible that East Germany was the absolute BEST that the Communists had to offer, and it’s more important to the Left that they destroy what we have by trying to create the “Workers’ Paradise” here.

      Report Post »  
    • wdittgasn
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 2:40pm

      I have relative that live in Europe, they had a bread bakery in their backyard, but it was torn down because of bloomberg like regulations, just a terrible waste and removal of freedom.

      Report Post » wdittgasn  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 3:35pm

      Has it really been 4 years?

      Where did the time go?

      Report Post » The-Monk  
    • 1TANKERYANKER
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 4:50pm

      I’m with you 100%, but start looking around you, our cities and infrastructure is already starting to fall into a state of disrepair. I’m a truck driver that criss crosses the country weekly and I am seeing it first hand. We need to wake the people up faster.

      Report Post » 1TANKERYANKER  
    • saranda
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 4:53pm

      @civilwarrior – talk about butchering history. You blamed Clinton for GATT, NAFTA and outsourcing……lol. Bush I signed NAFTA, negotiated partly under Reagan. GATT was a 2006 agreement…that makes it Reagan (Uruguay round at least) and outsourcing began to take hold in the early 80′s…again Reagan.

      Flame away, but those are the facts.

      Report Post »  
    • 535watcher
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 5:00pm

      Been to Detroit lately?????

      Report Post »  
    • StanO360
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:02pm

      Why do people hate on Wal-Mart? Do or don’t shop there! They aren’t doing anything wrong, in fact they are a great example of efficiency. They are amazing in getting products to consumers cheaply.

      Again, if you don’t want cheap products . . . don’t shop at Wal-Mart! But they are not evil, or anti-American. If you don’t like their benefits and wages . . . don’t work there! Shop at the mom and pop store if you want to, no one will stop you! Open your own store chain and pay your workers $20 an hour with full benefits . . . good for you!

      It’s really absurd, and some of you seem to think you’re free-market conservatives.

      Report Post »  
    • OneTermPresident
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 11:37pm

      @TREATY…. There’s one in every crowd. Congrats.

      Report Post » OneTermPresident  
    • Darlie
      Posted on July 14, 2012 at 12:24am

      Good job TankerTony! I applaud you!
      @stano360- You are apparently not: 1) a small businessman who cannot purchase items at the same price as Wally World AND 2) have never watched said store lower its prices to run the good paying small retailers out of town and promptly watch it raise prices (and hire people for 39 hrs. a week, aka no benefits) AND 3) are not aware of the Mafia tactics of said store towards even large companies that provide items for purchase. My friends owned a large Christmas supply business(you would recognize the name) that Wally World threathened to put out unless it sold to them for cost. The issue for the supply company became visibility. Even after meeting these demands, Wally World shut them down. I hate what they do to small town America and small businesses. I will never, ever, ever shop there again.

      Report Post »  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on July 14, 2012 at 6:58am

      This is the product of a single minded design to impress attending visitors and the media. Apparently, not thought went into what to do with the place after the games. Then again, look at the huge ghost towns the Chinese have constructed in their country and places in Africa.

      Report Post » RJJinGadsden  
    • freedomnetworker
      Posted on July 14, 2012 at 10:30am

      were you stationed in schweinfurt? I was there till ‘92 an I can confirm. matter of fact on your way to old east Germany the road gets worse. broke cars left on the road trash everywhere.. Germany itself was very clean…

      Report Post » freedomnetworker  
    • Al J Zira
      Posted on July 14, 2012 at 11:04am

      @1proudAmerican: I agree with you but I believe it goes a little deeper. If you look at the people in charge of the curriculum in today‘s schools you’ll find the most liberal/socialists around. Look at how many school boards have decided it’s Ok for the school s to teach kids about sex, homosexuality, secularism, I have two mommy’s/daddy’s and so on. People need to take back the school boards in their towns and cities and get back to the things that made this country the envy of the world.

      Report Post » Al J Zira  
    • ohiowordguy
      Posted on July 14, 2012 at 4:09pm

      @tankertony

      You are so right!

      In 1978 I was lucky enough to go on a month-long trip to Europe. Our trip included almost a week behind the iron curtain, including East Berlin, Prague and Hungary.

      My overall lasting impression was exactly the same as yours: The entire bloc was dark, gray, drab and lifeless. Hard to explain if you never saw it in person — but you nailed it.

      I vividly recall our busload of American teenagers spontaneously bursting into the Star-Spangled Banner when we finally crossed back into the real world at the Austrian border. I have never before or since taken our freedoms for granted.

      Report Post »  
    • Sunnyy
      Posted on July 18, 2012 at 10:14pm

      @Saranda
      Clinton signed into law NAFTA after Bush I, Salina & Mulroney negotiated…hope this helps.

      Report Post » Sunnyy  
    • Mil Mom
      Posted on July 20, 2012 at 12:58am

      Don’t forget, they moved people out and destroyed homes to build this beautiful “Olympic City” I wonder what happened to the people who lived there before?

      Report Post » Mil Mom  
    • Mil Mom
      Posted on July 20, 2012 at 1:04am

      @1proudAmerican
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 10:09am

      @ Bum Thrower Unions control the education system and teachers. If we get rid of the unions, we can have teachers that actual teach instead of create future socialists. They’ve had an agenda for a long, long time and it’s working. We need to take back America!
      ****
      That’s a big…”AMEN!!!”

      Report Post » Mil Mom  
  • gbgreta
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 8:43am

    It’s silly for host countries to blow so much money (now every two years) for Olympic facilities that will never be used again.

    Build one set of awesome facilities somewhere…maybe GREECE? And have everybody chip in to maintain it.

    Report Post »  
    • DrunkGOP_Hack
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 9:15am

      uh huh? Greta you are talking common sense.
      This is a disposable society (world) we live in now…

      Report Post » DrunkGOP_Hack  
    • Detroit paperboy
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 9:17am

      Still looks better than Detroit……..

      Report Post »  
    • Treaty
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 9:29am

      TAXEVERYONE, I enjoyed the article. Sometimes it‘s refreshing to read an article that doesn’t relate to the Democrats failures.

      Report Post » Treaty  
    • Amica
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 10:04am

      They don’t have to never be used again. All of the venues in Utah are active and useful assets to the community.

      Report Post » Amica  
    • saranda
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 5:04pm

      @amica – winger Olympics are all completely different scale. Except of course for the corruption in which SLC Olympics were by far the historic leader.

      Report Post »  
    • StanO360
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:31pm

      The LA Olympics were profitable! The city was left better for it, better facilities, traffic management, etc. Greece is actually worse than China in this regard, from what I read. No purpose, no accountability, just the “smartest” guys in the room making decisions for all the hoi polloi, that’s what you get.

      For all the people comparing Detroit to China’s abandoned Olympic facilities (and their empty cities too) ahhh, you know you are just proving the point right? Detroit has been a Democrat social experiment for years.

      Report Post »  
    • Mil Mom
      Posted on July 20, 2012 at 1:01am

      @saranda
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 5:04pm

      @amica – winger Olympics are all completely different scale. Except of course for the corruption in which SLC Olympics were by far the historic leader
      ***
      Let me ask a stupid question? “Once the Olympics for each country is over, why doesn’t the host country use it for training facilities for their own Olympic teams?”

      Report Post » Mil Mom  
  • insight
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 8:43am

    Camden NJ looks just like that but “people” still live there.

    Report Post »  
    • 666Sucks
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 9:16am

      People in Camden aren’t makeing $10.00 a day.

      Report Post » 666Sucks  
    • StanO360
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:37pm

      Camden, I don’t even think they make that much, that’s more like Mexico money.

      Report Post »  
  • 666Sucks
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 8:40am

    The Detroit etc pictures are a perfect example, and note, ALL THE DECAYING AMERICAN CITIES ARE ALSO UNDER COMMUNIST AKA SOCIALIST AKA PROGRESSIVE AKA DEMOCRAT CONTROL! I will also point out the empty cities of China, which they build because they need to employ, enslave the masses to build them so they have some type of job and not revolt, but no one can afford to live there! Like California!!!

    Report Post » 666Sucks  
  • jamesalm
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 8:28am

    This was just too much, I had to register to make a comment specifically on this story.

    People you are being lied to and deceived and this story is a perfect example. I have been to China, I have seen the places in these photographs and I would not describe them as “decrepit”. Let me go picture by picture and explain.

    First the birds nest. In the second picture, the camera is exposed for the sun which makes things overly dark and it was taken in the fall because there are no leafs on the trees. Dark and “lifeless” was the mood they were trying to achieve and through a little photo magic, they did.

    Second, the water cube. I actually don’t see the problem here, other than the lights not being turned on and no one being there. Has anyone every been inside an empty event stadium? I have been to Lucas Oil Field to film some promos for work and it was eerie compared to how I normally would see it when it was full of fans.

    Third and fourth are the only two you could possibly make a case for. But again, the pictures were taken in the fall. Fifth (after the BMX bikes) is just an overall bad picture with no real focal point. This leads to an overall feeling of something being “off”, a competent photographer could go there and recompose a shot that would give off a much different feeling.

    I could go on but I think you get the idea (flame away). As someone said earlier, there isn’t really a need for sporting stadiums in Beijing but they are not being left to r

    Report Post »  
    • starchy
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 8:35am

      I don’t know that we are being “lied to”, but I think the writer is certainly exaggerating the conditions. The pictures really don’t look that bad – just empty and unused. Ever been to a large stadium, swimming pool, etc. when they are not in use? Maybe a drained pool that is left empty for a while? Doesn’t really seem like a big deal to me.

      Report Post » starchy  
    • churchdog
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 10:42am

      This is EXCATLY what I was thinking! It’s just not in use- and how do we know when the pictures were taken? All grass goes brown in the winter. I’m no fan of China, but I’m leery of photos being so vaguely captioned.

      Report Post »  
    • one.dakine.howlie
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 11:07am

      The point is that these facilities aren‘t being used because they don’t have an economy capable of using the facilities. I live in Utah and worked at one of the ice arenas as a Zamboni driver. ALL the facilities in Utah from the 2002 Winter Olympics are being used daily year-round and make the cities and many private companies lots of money.

      Report Post »  
    • Truthbeliever2
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 11:20am

      Looks trashy to me. There is trash and old building material scattered all over the place. You say the photos were taken in the fall and everything looks dead and lifeless. Yes that is true. What is also true is if they had taken those pictures in the spring or summer that place would look like and overgrown jungle full tall grass and 6 to 8 foot weeds growing everywhere. It might have looked a little better in the spring and summer because all the junk laying around all over the place would have been covered up by the overgrown foliage.

      The place is obviously an unkempt trash heap that has been totally abandoned.

      You ask what the writer of the article was trying to push. Well what are you selling?

      Report Post » Truthbeliever2  
    • urrybr
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 11:21pm

      And East Berlin was a beautiful city with Renaissance architecture, and a lot of green space. That yellow smoke (aka acid rain) was just steam from the beautifully constructed factories. Yes . . . East Berlin used to be so beautiful . . . before the wall went down. Just like Vladivostok and Stalingrad. Yep, them commies really know how to run the place . . . yep!

      Report Post » urrybr  
  • huey6367
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 8:03am

    Communism at its finest. They couldn’t even turn it into a Wal-Mart? Oh, that would be capatalism. My bad.

     
    • DiscGo
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 8:21am

      I am truly shocked by the comments of theblaze’s audience this time.

      What really surprises me is your comments about this being a perfect example of communism. I live in Utah. There are still venues that the State of Utah pays to remain open for historical value that lose money every month (one of the ice skating facilities specifically).

      So ironically in China they have let the free market decide what happens with their Olympic venues, and in the U.S. the Government continues to fund unprofitable venues to keep up appearances.

      Report Post » DiscGo  
    • 1956
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 8:33am

      So sorry to disappoint – but China DOES have Walmarts in every major city.

      They should have turned some of these buildings into “markets” – a pearl market, jade market, silk market, etc…… the markets are usually smaller than these buildings, but they could have combined several markets into one building.

      Report Post » 1956  
    • jamesalm
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 8:39am

      @1956 They have turned some of these venues into Jade/Pearl markets. I’ve been to the one in the soccer stadium.

      Sport isn‘t big out there so these venues won’t ever be used to their full potential but if the people on this site could see the streets of Beijing or Shanghai they would hang their head in shame for calling America great.

      Report Post »  
  • MOLLYPITCHER
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:54am

    Doesn’t that make you wish we were all commies?

    Report Post »  
  • chillygirl
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:47am

    It takes a lot of money to maintain these venues. It takes a lot of money to manufacture events that would make it worthwhile to maintain these venues. The shabby facade of these buildings is a visual representation of what China’s economy looks like right now. China probably won‘t call in America’s debt, but they’ll sell those notes to someone like….Russia? Russia is very strong right now and just imagine what would happen if America is indebted to them? I think we need to resolve our debt problem. Romney needs to stop looking like a pansy and get a strong message out so we can actually see him able to stand up to world leaders that want to destroy America or our country is going to start looking pretty shabby too.

    Report Post »  
    • StanO360
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:43pm

      China only hold about 7% of our Treasury notes fwiw.

      Report Post »  
  • Tankertony
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:37am

    This ain’t nothing. Anyone ever see the Hiroshima v.s. Detroit email thats been circulating for years?

    Report Post » Tankertony  
    • kcares
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:59am

      Tankertony: That is what I was going to mention. We have plenty of pictures of buildings in the US.
      destroyed, we have people living in poverty, in horrible conditions and we have been in a “War against Poverty” for how long?

      Report Post » kcares  
    • dublinthewagons
      Posted on July 14, 2012 at 5:51am

      KCARES. Have you noticed those cities in the U.S. that are falling apart were run by unions and democrats. Think about it.

      Report Post »  
  • ODB1111
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:37am

    Anyone looked at the Olympic facilities in Greece after the olympics?

    Report Post »  
  • semihardrock
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:22am

    Its ALMOST like the USA investing in Solyndra or other pet projects………..

    Report Post » semihardrock  
  • historyguy48
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:16am

    Comrades with any kind of luck Dear Leader will be successful in restoring the middle class to poverty and when we are all living in inner city tenaments the towns we lived in will crumble until Dear Leader finds a use for them.
    What a wonderful future Dear Leader envisions for most Americans, not his elite buddies of course, just the rest of us!
    But never worry, Dear Leader loves you. Do you need to know how to find out?

    Report Post » historyguy48  
  • Selfreliance
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:14am

    I’m not sure what the author expects to be going on in this Olympic park. There isn’t a lot of call for a massive complex of sports facilities in China, obviously, but I’ve certainly seen more decrepit looking areas here in the US.

    Report Post »  
    • winterhead
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:34am

      His point A-hole was that it was all a facade. And to your point about decrepit Olympic venues. I live in Atlanta. The Olympic stadium is visited by 5 Million Braves fans a year. The Olympic village is now one the nicest dorm complexes in America for Georgia Tech. Tech also uses the swim and diving venue. The Ga Dome (gymnastic/basketball) is always used (concerts, Falcons,Super Bowl, NCAA basketball and Football). Olympic Park just had 2 million people around it watching fireworks and is visited by millions of tourist a year. We have a saying in Atlanta for people like you. “Delta is ready when you are.”

      Report Post »  
    • Bookster
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:55am

      @Winterhead, Really? The poster makes a non-offensive comment and you call him an A-hole? Do you talk to people in real life like that pr are you one of those “tough guys” behind a keyboard in your mom’s basement? My bet is on the latter. Grow up.

      Report Post »  
    • rt elms
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 8:41am

      Bookster – Obviously a Yankee transplant. A true southerner of proper breeding can call one an A-hole without causing any feeling of offense. Mint julep anyone?

      Report Post » rt elms  
    • winterhead
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 11:42am

      @Bookster and RT Elms. Nope I am one of the chosen few born in Alabam (Hank Williams). Undegrad at Bama, Graduate degree from FSU. Was just back from my morning run. Was in my basement looking overlooking my infinity pool looking over the #2 new golf course in America. Just got back to the office after visiting 2 of my 13 restaurants that I own. Employing over 1000 people. As a southern gentleman I am respectful of others until they bad mouth and lie about my country.

      Report Post »  
    • rt elms
      Posted on July 14, 2012 at 7:10am

      Winterhead – Imagine that! With all your responsibilities you found time to join our little discussion. Bless your heart.

      Report Post » rt elms  
  • Its_coming
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:10am

    I think we’d be surprised how often this happens – no support after it is oven because it isn’t in the mainstream of normal society

    Report Post »  
  • Flap Jackson
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:10am

    But I hear they are trying to recoup losses by manufacturing Olympics clothing for other countries. Wait… what?

    Report Post »  
  • firstamend
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:04am

    Brits celebrate victory by peeing their pants?

    “If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis”

    Report Post »  
  • Dolt
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:01am

    The only difference between these images and say, New York City today, is the fact that New York has a couple million people in the way distracting from the crumbling, decrepit city. If any of you ever venture out of your nice suburbs, you can see this exact same thing in any major city. Downtown Kansas City, Atlanta, Detroit, Birmingham …. just off the top of my head. All of these places are no different. We are no better than China.

    Report Post »  
    • bread and circuses
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:17am

      ROFL, every one of the cities you mentioned have been run by democrats for decades. Is there a comparison between communist china and the democratic party ? your name fits, you are a dolt, not to mention that you are a troll.

      Report Post »  
    • StanO360
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:36pm

      Dolt (as your name or as a noun), there is NOTHING about China that is better than the US. Unless you are one of the chosen few in China, either kleptocrat or anointed businessman, Detroit is better than China. It is an economy with about half the GDP per capita of the US (like half of Mexico’s), no free press, no freedom of expression. Most live in dismal poverty that most Americans can’t even fathom.

      Report Post »  
    • catholicextremist
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:20pm

      Amen about the democratic cities, but living next to Johnson county KS, one of the richest and most republican urban counties in the US, if decay like this existed four years after construction, there would be law suits and a whole new city council come next election. Even in Detroit, there bombed out buildings are at least 100 yrs old, not 4!

      Report Post »  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:00am

    .
    Nasty little people aren’t they……

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
  • Edward
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:47am

    Don’t forget about the atrocities that took place during the construction of a lot of these landmarks. Many people were shoved out of the their homes and their homes bulldozed for these Olympics.

    Report Post » Edward  
  • lukerw
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:41am

    CE = Made in China… for Export.

    Report Post » lukerw  
    • Selfreliance
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:12am

      Are you daft? CE = Communauté Européenne, and CE marking means the marked item conforms to applicable directives for sale in the EU. It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with “made in China,” and products bearing CE marking are made around the world.

      Report Post »  
  • wboehmer
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:40am

    This kinda thing is what usually happens post-Olympics. It’s difficult to find much use for the facilities.

    Maybe not a total waste, but host city/country should carefully consider the cost/benefit BEFORE committing.

    WHAT AM I SAYING??? This would require public officials to be fiscally responsible.

    Report Post »  
    • StanO360
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:39pm

      Just don’t fund it (at least fully). In the US most of the funds are raised locally, hence we are very thrifty and logical about how we do it.

      Report Post »  
  • JoeBtfsplk
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:31am

    Outlaw the Olympics. Use that money to build wave parks for Surfing all around the World.

    Just make sure to create a highly contestable, (tubing waves in both directions), wave rather than the mushy crowd favorite.

    Report Post »  
  • bullcrapbuster
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:31am

    Russia was the same. They just build and then do the absolute minimum maintenance. Apparently Venezeula looks like a dump now also.

    Report Post » bullcrapbuster  
    • lukerw
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:50am

      The problem with Planned Economic Systems is… whatever the Central Committee is focused upon, is done… and when they loose focus, it goes to pot. So, the few Big Brains can never compete with a System where everyone does the Thinking!

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • AmazingGrace8
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 2:41pm

      A great baritone, Russian, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, sings one of my favorite songs (You-Tube), Moscow Nights:
      Not a rustle can be heard in the garden.
      Everything is quiet till dawn.
      You only knew how dear they are to me..these Moscow nights (repeat)
      The river is flowing & seems still.
      Everything shines silver in the moonlight.
      Song is heard & then its silent again on these quiet evenings (repeat)
      Dawn is already breaking..so please darling be kind
      Don;t ever forget these summer nights in Moscow (repeat)
      Not a rustle can be heard in the garden.
      Everything is still till dawn.
      Only you knew how dear they are to me..these Moscow nights (repeat)

      Hope I got the words right. One You-Tube version shows beautiful buildings & lights of Moscow. President Obama wants this for America….that was what he whispered & wanted the message to be relayed to Putin.
      I would like to visit Russia but would not want to live there!!!
      God Bless America!!!

      Report Post »  
  • KusoJiJi
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:30am

    with communism, everything is just a fascade.

    Report Post » KusoJiJi  
    • Choctaw25
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:44am

      Just like Barry and his mind numb followers.

      Report Post » Choctaw25  
    • Recceman90
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:16am

      Well said!

      Report Post » Recceman90  
    • catholicextremist
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:03pm

      Yep. Commies and Nazis (and dare I say, our great leader) are all great a puting on a show but can’t hide their failure over the long haul.

      Report Post »  
  • hifi74
    Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:24am

    Coming soon to an American city near you, starting Nov 2012 IF the man-child stays in office.

    Report Post » hifi74  
    • JoeBtfsplk
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:33am

      “We’ve only just begun” – Obama ain‘t a ’Carpenter’ !

      Report Post »  
    • Cashpipe
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:41am

      Coming soon? I think I need to move to your city and I’m writing this from one of the nicer parts of Long Island where every other store front is either “going out of business” or “available for rent”.

      Report Post »  
    • biohazard23
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:43am

      Gee, thanks, Joe. Now I have that infernal song stuck in my head! :)

      Report Post » biohazard23  
    • hifi74
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:55am

      Errr yeah sorry Cashpipe, I live in a small town middle America Wisconsin so it hasn’t quite gotten to me yet. You have a good point though.

      Report Post » hifi74  
    • JoeBtfsplk
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:47am

      @BIO;

      You’re welcome. No sooner had I glanced at HIF’s comment that song popped into my mind.

      It’s my (dis)pleasure to have had to suggest it.

      Someone needs to come up with a ‘catchy’ Obama theme song.

      Meanwhile …

      Report Post »  
    • teddrunk
      Posted on July 13, 2012 at 10:07am

      HIFI, quit braggin’, not everyone has a Scott Walker

      Report Post »  
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