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)
2. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, CA; 1932 & 1984) 3. Olympiastadion (Berlin, Germany; 1936) 4. Melbourne Cricket Ground (Melbourne, Australia; 1956)5. Nippon Budokan (Tokyo, Japan; 1964)
6. Yoyogi National Gymnasium (Tokyo, Japan; 1964)7. Estadio Olímpico Universitario (Mexico City, Mexico; 1968)
8. Palacio de los Deportes (Mexico City, Mexico; 1968)
9. National Auditorium (Mexico City, Mexico; 1968)
10. Olympic Stadium (Montréal, Canada; 1976)
11. Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys (Barcelona, Spain; 1992)
12. Palau Sant Jordi (Barcelona, Spain; 1992)
13. Pavello Olimpic de Badalona (Barcelona, Spain; 1992)
14. Stadium Australia (Sydney, Australia; 2000)
15. Sydney Super Dome (Sydney, Australia; 2000)
16. Athens Olympic Velodrome (Athens, Greece; 2004)
17. Olympic Stadium (Athens, Greece; 2004)
18. Peace and Friendship Stadium (Athens, Greece; 2004)
19. The Bird’s Nest (Beijing, China; 2008)
20. The Water Cube (Beijing, China; 2008)