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.
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. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
The Sarajevo Winter Olympics logo adorns the figure-skating venue, Zetra Hall.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
A hotel that hosted athletes competing in the 1984 Olympics stands in ruins.
. 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.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Leaves grow around the derelict ice-skating venue.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
The 1984 Winter Olympics logo casts a shadow on a tower near Zetra Hall.
. 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.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Graffiti covers the disused bobsleigh track on Mount Trebevic, near Sarajevo.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Pedestrians walk past an Olympic logo painted on a street in central Sarajevo.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Worn stone steps lead up to the disused ski jump on Mount Igman.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Moss grows at the top of the ski jump.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
The room built for judges in the ski-jumping event has crumbled to ruins.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
The area around the jumps is overgrown with scrubby plants.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
The disused bobsleigh track is filled with stones and dirt.
. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Grass grows around the old ski jump on Mount Igman.