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SCMP Reporters

In August 2016, they were the Brazilian venues that captivated the world.
But just six months on, a number of Rio de Janeiro’s major Olympic venues have fallen into disrepair.

The aquatics centre’s practice pool is now a rust-coloured mire and the Olympic Park precinct with its two arenas, tennis centre and velodrome has effectively been closed.
Rio’s Olympic venues in utter neglect

Yet the most striking damage is to the Maracana Stadium, which was renovated for the 2014 Fifa World Cup at a cost of about $500 million, and largely abandoned after the Olympics and Paralympics.

Worms have damaged the playing surface and the stadium has been looted, with windows smashed, copper wire stolen and some 10 per cent of the seats torn up.



In pictures: Rio’s Olympic venues in a state of disrepair

Fireworks soar over the Maracana Stadium at the end of the closing ceremony for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August 2016. Photo: Kyodo

A homeless man sleeps outside the closed main gates to the world-famous Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on January 18, 2017. After playing a key role in the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games, hosted by Brazil, the iconic Maracana Stadium has fallen into a state of abandon due to a contract dispute, and is closed to tourists. / AFP PHOTO / VANDERLEI ALMEIDA

A view of the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, which was used for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, is seen in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 5, 2017. Picture taken on February 5, 2017. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

An aerial view of Maracana Stadium, which was used for the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, shows the turf being dry, worn and filled with ruts and holes, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil January 12, 2017. Picture taken on January 12, 2017. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

This Feb. 2, 2017 photo shows the inside of Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The stadium was renovated for the 2014 World Cup at a cost of about $500 million, and largely abandoned after the Olympics and Paralympics, then hit by vandals who ripped out thousands of seats and stole televisions. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

In this Feb. 2, 2017 photo, nobs are left where seats were ripped out at Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "During the Olympics the city was really trying hard to keep things together," said Oliver Stuenkel, a Brazilian who teaches international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a Brazilian university. "But the minute the Olympics were over, the whole thing disintegrated." (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

This Feb. 2, 2017 photo shows seats jumbled in a pile inside Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The historic stadium, site of the opening and closing ceremony, has been vandalized as stadium operators, the Rio state government, and Olympic organizers, have fought over $1 million in unpaid electricity bills and management of the venue. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

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