Photo. At the top of Trebević Mountain in Sarajevo, I stood beside the faded Olympic rings - once a proud symbol of unity and peace. © Travel Explorations.
The abandoned bobsled track from the 1984 Winter Olympics stands as a haunting monument: built for speed, now frozen in time - like a concrete ghost of Sarajevo’s past. Once a symbol of unity and sport, it later became a front line during the war. Exploring the track, overgrown and covered in graffiti, I felt the weight of Sarajevo’s history.
The siege of the city Sarajevo was held by Bosnian Serb forces from 5th April 1992, to 29th February 1996, during the Bosnian War, which followed the dissolution of Yugoslavia. The Bosnian War was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995.
The bobsled and luge events were held at the newly built track on Mount Trebević, considered a world-class venue at the time. East Germany dominated both two-man and four-man bobsled events (source: Bobsleigh at the 1984 Winter Olympics on Wikipedia).
Sarajevo Olympics was a multi-sport event held in 1984, where Sarajevo was a host city of the Winter Olympic Games. At that time Sarajevo was a part of a former communist country – Yugoslavia.
Sarajevo Olympics managed to gather 12 more countries – participants than every winter Olympics before (source: Sarajevo Olympics - The memorable story of winter in 1984 on Meet Bosnia Travel). Due to the fact that the Sarajevo Winter Olympics were held during the time of the Cold War.
Spectators filled the stands in freezing temperatures, celebrating a smooth and successful event. The Olympics were widely seen as a great success - well-organized, peaceful, and full of joyful spirit.
Legacy at the time was that Sarajevo gained admiration for its hospitality. Think about that: the Olympics united people across ethnic and national divides - a strong contrast to what would come less than a decade later during the Bosnian War.
The bobsled track it`s more than concrete - it’s a timeline of hope, conflict, and resilience. Sarajevo is the city where Olympic dreams once raced, and where the spirit still runs strong.
The signs still stand - not just as a memory, but as a reminder of what was, and what can be again.
Stein Morten Lund, November 2024
Additional information
Read more:
Bobsleigh at the 1984 Winter Olympics on Wikipedia
Sarajevo Olympics - The memorable story of winter in 1984 on Meet Bosnia Travel
Siege of Sarajevo Bosnian War 1992-1996 on Britannica
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