Olympic Day: what is left after Olympics?

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Olympic Day, held on June 23 each year, is a day to get active and encourage others to participate in activities, which promote Olympic values. As an international celebration, Olympic Day was introduced in 1948 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on June 23, 1894 in Paris.

A glance of world famous Olympic Stadiums

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. /VCG Photo

Los Angeles – The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the first venue to host two Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984, is home to the University of Southern California (USC) football team, the Trojans.

The London Olympic Stadium. /VCG Photo

London – The Olympic Stadium, the most expensive stadium at over 8.77 billion pounds (about 11.17 billion dollars), was built for the hugely successful 2012 Olympics Games and is set to host West Ham Football Club.

The Barcelona Olympic Stadium. /VCG Photo

Barcelona – The stadium was built in 1927 for the International Exposition of 1929. Renovated in 1989, it was then used for the 1992 Olympics. The impressive façade with its towers and cupolas merged Moorish influences with modernism.

The Montreal Olympic Stadium. /VCG Photo

Montreal – Home of the 1976 Summer Olympics, was also home to the Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Montreal Expos and is the second most expensive stadium built so far.

The Beijing "Bird's Nest“ Olympic Stadium. /VCG Photo

Beijing – The magnificent "Bird's Nest" representing the emerging power of the ancestral Middle Kingdom, hosted many events at the 2008 Olympics Games including one of the most impressive opening ceremonies in recent memory.

The Munich Olympic Stadium. /VCG Photo

Munich – The tent-like Olympiastadion was the main venue at the 1972 Summer Olympics, and was built between 1968 and 1972 to a groundbreaking design.

Sustainable use of Olympic venues

In addition to hosting wonderful Games, how to sustainably use venues after the Olympics are over has presented a new challenge for host cities. The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will again use the "Bird's Nest", built for the 2008 Summer Games. The site has also become a local landmark, welcoming over 3 million Chinese and foreign tourists annually.

Rebuilding, upgrading, reusing or re-purposing Olympic venues are suggested possibilities to secure their legacy, justify the infrastructure costs and make them sustainable.