What Happens to the Athletes’ Villages After the Games?

When the Olympic Games come to town, the host country has to accommodate thousands of athletes, usually in the city centre. Training facilities must be accessible to the athletes staying there, and they’ll rely on the accommodation to provide everything they need while away from home and competing for their country.

When the Olympic Games come to town, the host country has to accommodate thousands of athletes, usually in the city centre. Providing accommodation for so many people from all around the world is one thing, but once the Games are over and the athletes move on, what happens to their temporary digs?

The Paris 2024 Athletes’ Village

This year, the Olympic Village housed over 14,000 athletes and entourage members during the Olympic Games, and a further 9,000 athletes and entourage members for the Paralympic Games.

In a statement on the Olympics website, the new village was billed as a true “home away from home”, with facilities including a round-the-clock fitness centre, the Village Club for athletes to relax, socialise and tune in to event coverage, and the Village Plaza, with a hairdresser’s, merchandise shop and post office.

The Olympic Village housed a multi-faith centre, and for the duration of the Games, the main dining hall featured food from around the world.

Now that the Games are over, it is projected that the village will provide long-term housing for 6,000 residents and office space for another 6,000 workers.

Solar panels and green roofs will contribute to the long-term sustainability of the buildings, and a percentage of the homes will be set aside for public housing.

The Tokyo 2020 (2021) Athletes’ Village

With an estimated $2 billion building cost, the Tokyo Athletes’ Village was an impressive construction in a sought-after location.

COVID put the brakes on for the Games (which were delayed from 2020 until 2021) and for the planned transformation of the Tokyo Athletes’ Village into inner-city living space.

Now, the Harumi Flag complex boasts apartments that can accommodate 12,000 residents.

Located on reclaimed land on Tokyo Bay, the Harumi Flag apartments are generously sized when compared to other nearby options, and with a park and day-care centres, Harumi Flag has been a popular choice for Tokyo workers and families.

The Sydney 2000 Athletes’ Village

When the suburb of Newington was developed as the Sydney Olympics Athletes’ Village, it was the largest solar-powered suburb in the world, setting the precedent for future games.

The careful planning and green credentials meant that the newly created suburb would become a popular place to live, with solar power, batteries and water recycling facilities within every home, and no more than 400 metres separating any home from the many green spaces dotted throughout postcode 2127. The neighbouring wetland was also restored as part of the overall project.

Built at the time for visiting athletes, Newington offers plenty for residents who want to exercise outside in a suburb that makes the most of its green spaces. The many parks are connected by running, walking and bike paths, with streets named after athletes providing an enduring connection to the Games.

Once the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games were over, the project of refitting the dwellings began. As an athletes’ village, the houses and apartments hadn’t been fitted with kitchens, as the athletes could get all their meals in the central dining marquee.

The popularity of this manufactured suburb didn’t wear off as the memory of the Games faded. Between July 2023 and June 2024, the median house price was $1,842,500, and $800,000 for apartments.