City earns top score in report on use of Olympic venues

Vancouver received a top score with all of its 2010 Olympic venues still being used, according to the first report examining the postevent use of Olympic venues.

The report, conducted by the Olympic Studies Centre and released this month by the IOC, tracks the post-event use of 923 Olympic venues across 51 Summer and Winter Games, beginning with Athens 1896 through to Pyeongchang in 2018. It found that 85 per cent of all permanent Olympic venues since Athens remain in use. That figure jumps to 92 per cent when examining permanent venues used in the 21st century.

“This report is a very impressive testimony to the legacy that the Olympic Games create in the host cities and regions,” said Christophe Dubi, executive director of the Games for the IOC.

“We are thrilled to see that the overwhelming majority of Olympic venues continue to offer sports competition and training opportunities at elite and grassroots levels, while creating health and social benefits in past Olympic hosts.”

Dubi noted that the report's findings illustrate how “sustainable legacies” are possible for host cities and can support long-term development needs for local communities.

The report also found that longterm benefits are maximized when venues are adapted for several uses, both for sport and non-sport purposes like concerts or festivals.

Of the 12 Olympic venues used in and around Vancouver, four were existing venues, the rest were new builds. All 12 remain in use today, more than a decade after the Games have left Vancouver.

Venues like the Richmond Olympic Oval were purpose-built for the 2010 Games but today, the Oval serves as an athletic centre with gyms, fitness centres and event spaces available to the community.

Development in the area has also happened, with residential units and businesses being built nearby.

The report noted that of the 15 per cent of Olympic venues not in active use, the majority were demolished for a number of reasons, such as reaching the end of life or destroyed due to war or accidents. Others were knocked down to make way for other developments.

Just 35 out of 817 permanent venues (four per cent) were closed, inactive or abandoned.