The 2026 Winter Olympics are over, but ...

 

Even though the 2026 Winter Olympics and all of their drama (some of which was pretty dramatic) ended a month or so ago, but this article about former Olympic venues provides some historical perspective.  I've actually been to one Olympic Games, and visited several places that hosted them, including both swimming venues for the 1936 and 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.  Sadly, now that we are in an era of temporary venues built in big stadiums (as will happen in 2028 for swimming in the Olympics) there won't be as many shrines to former athletic heroism to visit.

So, this list is interesting:

5 of the Oldest Olympic Venues Still in Use

The five of them are:

• Zappeion and Panathenaic Stadium – Athens, Greece 
• Vélodrome Jacques Anquetil – Paris, 
• France Francis Olympic Field – St. Louis, 
• Missouri Ryde Pier – Isle of Wight, England 
• Stockholms Stadion – Stockholm, Sweden

Regarding Ryde Pier, "this heritage structure on the Isle of Wight remains a popular local landmark more than a century on — not least because it’s the second-longest seaside pleasure pier in the U.K., after the Southend Pier. During the 1908 Games, spectators gathered at the end of the pier to watch yacht races, all of which were won by the Great Britain crews, to the delight of the crowd.

This is Ryde Pier (actually, the end of it):