The Games of the XXXI Olympiad (aka the 2016 Summer Olympics) are set to begin in less than two weeks on August 5th. Although this year’s host city, Rio de Janeiro, has been plagued by controversy from the get-go, there are still plenty of eager sports fanatics that couldn’t be more excited to visit Brazil at this special time for the country. Rio will actually hold the distinction of being the first South American city to host the games.There is no denying the beauty of Rio, from its rich history, to the numerous beaches, and, of course, the people! But while Rio will no doubt have some impressive structures built for the Games (if its existing landmarks are any indication), it certainly has some large shoes to fill. Host cities are known to aim high and think big when selecting or building these mammoth monuments. Over the years, some designs have definitely stuck out more than others. From the architecturally impressive to the just plain beautiful, here are our picks for the top 20 venues from past Olympic games:
1. Panathenaic Stadium (Athens, Greece; 1896 & 2004)
![By Badseed (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 13 April 2009 Kallimarmaron stadium](http://rnrrealty.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Kallimarmaron_stadium.jpg)
Photo Credit: “The Panathinaiko Stadium (Kallimarmaron) stadium” by Badseed © 2009 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
![Olympic Torch Tower of the Los Angeles Coliseum By unknown, U.S. Air Force [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AOlympic_Torch_Tower_of_the_Los_Angeles_Coliseum.jpg 28 July 1984](http://rnrrealty.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Los_Angeles_Coliseum.jpg)
Photo Credit: “Olympic Torch Tower of the Los Angeles Coliseum” by unknown, U.S. Air Force © 1984 (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons
![The Olympiastadion in 1936 Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R82532 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R82532 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons 1936](http://rnrrealty.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Olympia-Stadion.jpg)
Photo Credit: “Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R82532” by Hoffmann © 1936 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: “AFL Grand Final 2010 on the Melbourne Cricket Ground” by Alexander Sheko © 2010 (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons
5. Nippon Budokan (Tokyo, Japan; 1964)
![Nippon Budokan Hall Main entrance Wiiii - Own work Nippon Budokan, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo Japan, designed by Mamoru Yamada in 1964. © 2010 By Wiiii (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANippon_Budokan_2010.jpg](http://rnrrealty.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Nippon_Budokan_2010.jpg)
Photo Credit: “Nippon Budokan 2010” by Wiiii © 2010 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: “Yoyogi National First Gymnasium” by Rs1421 © 2010 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
7. Estadio Olímpico Universitario (Mexico City, Mexico; 1968)
Photo Credit: “Estadio Olímpico Universitario” by Ebidej © 2011 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
8. Palacio de los Deportes (Mexico City, Mexico; 1968)
Photo Credit: “Palacio de los Deportes” © 2006 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
9. National Auditorium (Mexico City, Mexico; 1968)
Photo Credit: “Ciudad de Mexico – 1194 – Auditorio Nacional” by Pierre-Selim Huard © 2015 (CC BY 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: “AuditorioNacionalPorDentro” by hmerinomx © 2010 (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons
10. Olympic Stadium (Montréal, Canada; 1976)
Photo Credit: “Biodome de Montreal” by storem © 2007 (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons
11. Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys (Barcelona, Spain; 1992)
Photo Credit: “Estadi Companys” by Canaan © 2014 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
12. Palau Sant Jordi (Barcelona, Spain; 1992)
Photo Credit: “Barcelona Palau San Jordi 001” by German Ramos © 2000 (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons
13. Pavello Olimpic de Badalona (Barcelona, Spain; 1992)
Photo Credit: “Olimpic Badalona” by Ottobdn © 2007 (Public Domain) via Wikimedia Commons
14. Stadium Australia (Sydney, Australia; 2000)
Photo Credit: “Australia Stadium” by Adam.J.W.C. © 2009 (CC BY-SA 2.5) via Wikimedia Commons
15. Sydney Super Dome (Sydney, Australia; 2000)
Photo Credit: “Qudos Bank Arena – April 2016” by Philip Terry Graham © 2016 (CC0 1.0) via Wikimedia Commons
16. Athens Olympic Velodrome (Athens, Greece; 2004)
Photo Credit: “Olympic Stadium, Athens 25” by Spyrosdrakopoulos © 2009 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
17. Olympic Stadium (Athens, Greece; 2004)
Photo Credit: “Olympic Stadium, Athens 19” by Spyrosdrakopoulos © 2009 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
18. Peace and Friendship Stadium (Athens, Greece; 2004)
Photo Credit: “Peace and Friendship Stadium 2014” by M(e)ister Eiskalt © 2014 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
19. The Bird’s Nest (Beijing, China; 2008)
Photo Credit: “Beijing national stadium” by Peter23 © 2011 (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
20. The Water Cube (Beijing, China; 2008)
Photo Credit: “国家游泳中心夜景” by Charlie fong © 2009 (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons
What is your favorite venue from the past Summer Olympics? Will you be watching this year’s Rio Games? Let us know in the comments!
