The series looks at the heritage of the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics.
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Anastasia Tsayder
The 1980 Olympic Games was the last showpiece event to happen in the USSR, the last major undertaking meant to prove the superiority of the Socialist regime and the ideas of Communism.
Anastasia Tsayder
Up until 2014, the very word “Olympics” in Russia was mainly associated with the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
Anastasia Tsayder
The Olympic buildings, mostly designed in 1975-78 when optimism and hopes for a bright future still prevailed, were a manifestation of the prosperity and power of the Soviet state.
Anastasia Tsayder
While the costs of the Sochi Games can be calculated, the exact outlays of the 1980 Olympics remain unknown due to the specifics of the Soviet planned economy.
Anastasia Tsayder
It is believed that the 1980 Olympics at times came close to failure due to unforeseen increases in costs, behind-schedule construction (some of the venues are said to have been completed one day before competitions were due to start), security concerns after the Munich Olympics, and the fear of political sabotage from "rival capitalist regimes".
Anastasia Tsayder
Some go further to say that the USSR may have never fully recovered from the cost of the Olympics, and this could have been one of the reasons for its collapse.
Anastasia Tsayder
The heritage of the Moscow Olympics serves as an example of what can happen to Olympic venues over a time span of 30 years.
Anastasia Tsayder
Certain venues are still used as intended, some were adapted for new functions, and some have been left half abandoned.
Anastasia Tsayder
Many buildings did not blend into the urban structure; initially conceived as messengers from the future, they now look like aliens from the past.
Anastasia Tsayder
The USSR had just five years to prepare for the 1980 Olympics and during that time the organizers managed to do the impossible.
Anastasia Tsayder
Most of the facilities built for the 1980 Olympics continue to be properly utilized to this day, proving the thesis that the legacy of the Games serves the people for years after the original event.
Anastasia Tsayder
Indeed, Sheremetyevo-2 airport is now one of Moscow's main air hubs; the Ostankino TV center is used to 100 percent of its capacity, as is the Cosmos hotel.
