Atlanta 1996: Olympic venues overview
Brick-and-mortar remnants of the Olympic Games Atlanta 1996 can be seen dotted around the city. While 17 Games-time sporting venues existed prior to the Games, nine were new and two were temporary structures. Eight of the new venues remain in use and are thriving.
Two of the city’s premier universities, Georgia State and Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology) continue to see direct benefits from the Olympic venues. The Georgia Tech Aquatic Centre has remained a hub for Olympic-level sporting action and become a thriving community asset with classes and clubs open to the public daily.
Meanwhile, the Centennial Olympic Stadium has been home to Georgia State University’s college football team since 2016. Previously, the stadium hosted Major League Baseball (MLB)’s Atlanta Braves for nearly 20 years, having been specifically reconfigured for this purpose following Atlanta 1996.
With the Atlanta Braves playing 80 games a year at the renamed Turner Field, the stadium achieved a remarkable level of activity.
Georgia International Horse Park – which existed prior to the Games – has continued to prosper since hosting all the Olympic equestrian events, mountain biking and the final two stages of the modern pentathlon in 1996. Since the Games, equestrian events and opportunities for members of the public to take lessons, train or compete, remain at the heart of the park. Additionally, there are also extensive mountain bike trails, running and hiking options and an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course on offer. Its popularity as a community asset was visible in 2019 when it was voted the best outdoor venue in Georgia by the Official Best of America TV award show.
Three Atlanta 1996 venues did not stand the test of time. The Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, which hosted the Olympic baseball events, was demolished in 1997 as there was no viable use of it in place. The Stone Mountain Park Tennis Centre, built for the Games, did not appeal to a local audience and was closed in 2007 and demolished afterwards. Meanwhile, the owners of the Alonzo Herndon Stadium, which hosted the Olympic hockey events, filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and the venue remains empty.