Sarajevo's Winter Olympic legacy

Sarajevo's Winter Olympic legacy

Advertisement

Daubed with graffiti and strewn with dry foliage, it is hard to believe that this old bobsleigh track once formed part of state-of-the-art Olympic facilities.

It was built for the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, but like most of the other Olympic venues in Bosnia's capital, it has been reduced to a crumbling wreck, as much by neglect as by the 1990s conflict that tore apart the former Yugoslavia.

. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

A peeling picture of "Vucko", the official mascot of the Sarajevo Games, is still just visible in Zetra Hall, the ice-skating venue where Britain's ice-dancing duo Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean memorably received a row of perfect 6s in front of a packed crowd.

The hall was completely destroyed by shelling and bombing during the war and was rebuilt in 1999 after the International Olympic Committee donated $11.5 million for the project

. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Mist shrouds disused ski-jumping facilities in an area that became a battleground during the bloody 1992-95 conflict that forged Bosnia as a single country.

Likewise, the bobsleigh and luge track was used as a Bosnian-Serb artillery stronghold during the war. It is nowadays a target of frequent vandalism.

1 / 14

Slideshow

The Sarajevo Winter Olympics logo adorns the figure-skating venue, Zetra Hall.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

The Sarajevo Winter Olympics logo adorns the figure-skating venue, Zetra Hall.

A hotel that hosted athletes competing in the 1984 Olympics stands in ruins.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

A hotel that hosted athletes competing in the 1984 Olympics stands in ruins.

An image of "Vucko," the mascot of the Sarajevo Olympics, is left peeling on the wall of Zetra Hall.
. SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

An image of "Vucko," the mascot of the Sarajevo Olympics, is left peeling on the wall of Zetra Hall.

Leaves grow around the derelict ice-skating venue.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Leaves grow around the derelict ice-skating venue.

The 1984 Winter Olympics logo casts a shadow on a tower near Zetra Hall.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

The 1984 Winter Olympics logo casts a shadow on a tower near Zetra Hall.

A dog walks past the snowflake design on the wall of the Kosevo stadium, which hosted the opening ceremony of the 1984 Games.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

A dog walks past the snowflake design on the wall of the Kosevo stadium, which hosted the opening ceremony of the 1984 Games.

Graffiti covers the disused bobsleigh track on Mount Trebevic, near Sarajevo.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Graffiti covers the disused bobsleigh track on Mount Trebevic, near Sarajevo.

Pedestrians walk past an Olympic logo painted on a street in central Sarajevo.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Pedestrians walk past an Olympic logo painted on a street in central Sarajevo.

Worn stone steps lead up to the disused ski jump on Mount Igman.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Worn stone steps lead up to the disused ski jump on Mount Igman.

Moss grows at the top of the ski jump.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Moss grows at the top of the ski jump.

The room built for judges in the ski-jumping event has crumbled to ruins.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

The room built for judges in the ski-jumping event has crumbled to ruins.

The area around the jumps is overgrown with scrubby plants.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

The area around the jumps is overgrown with scrubby plants.

The disused bobsleigh track is filled with stones and dirt.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

The disused bobsleigh track is filled with stones and dirt.

Grass grows around the old ski jump on Mount Igman.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Grass grows around the old ski jump on Mount Igman.