Drone Videos of Olympic Host Cities

Every two years the Olympics bring us together in celebration of the worlds best athletes and global culture and diversity. Take an aerial trip back in time visiting each of the modern day Olympic host cities from 1896 in Athens Greece all the way to Los Angeles the site of the upcoming 2028 Olympics.

South Korea hosted its second olympics in 2018, having hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.  In connection with the XXIII Winter Olympics Games held in Pyeongchang (a city in the northeastern part of the country, not far from Seoul), AirVuz contributor Axlfro was hired to capture drone footage from around the country.  The result is a full blown aerial collage of this astonishingly beautiful country.  The video features footage of PyeongChang, as well as Gangneung, Samchock, and Sokcho.

In 2009, Brazil erupted in celebration when Rio de Janeiro was chosen to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, making Rio the proverbial center of the world for two weeks in August 2016.  While the Games themselves were off-limits for drones, a few of those traveling to Rio for the Games brought their drones with them, like Zekedrone. In this great video, he captured Rio on the eve of the Olympics, offering an amazing perspective of an exciting time for this great city.

Top AirVuz contributor and drone operator DroneProduction.ru (along with the help of drone pilot Alexander Malkov) brings us this DVOW nominated aerial tour of Krasnaya Polyana Ski Resort, one of Russia's most famous ski destinations.  It's located on the western slopes of the Caucasus Mountains in the southern province of Krasnodar Krai.  Situated about 50 km (30 mi.) east of Sochi, the resort hosted the alpine skiing events for the 2014 Winter Olympics.  Its slopes feature a total vertical drop of 1.76k meters or about 5.8k ft.  

London can lay claim to being the world's single most important city over the last 500 years.  Today, it's one of just two cities designated as Alpha ++ Cities by the respected GWCRN.  Contributor AlexJS used a drone to create this epic aerial tour of his hometown, the UK's capital on the Thames River. This aerial tour includes everything: Tower Bridge, Palace of Westminster, and the London Eye.  Sit back and enjoy the aerial views of this magnificent metropolis, host city of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Blueberry_media brings us this stunning drone video from Blackcomb Mountain, one of the mountains that make up the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort in Canada's British Columbia.  The mountain lies about 120 km (around 80 mi.) north of Vancouver, the largest city in Western Canada.  This area was in the world spotlight when Vancouver hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics; most of the ski-related events took place in Whistler.  Olympics aside, it's one of the most popular ski resorts in North America.    

Contributor Maxfrompine created this stunning drone video of Sestriere and Cesana, two skiing areas in the Italian Alps.  Both are located in Italy's Piedmont region, west of the regional capital city Turin.  In February, 2006, Sestiere took world center stage as one of the main skiing venues for the XX Winter Olympics, which was hosted by Turin.  It's considered one of the top skiing spots in the Alps.  Cesana is very close to the border with France and has historically had considerable military significance.  

Check out these drone views of the Olympic Stadium of Athens, Greece, compliments of Drone.as.  It's part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex in Marousi, northeast of the center of the Greek capital city.  The stadium was the primary venue for the 2004 Summer Olympics.  The stadium is also called Spyros Louis, in honor of the winner of the first modern Olympics marathon, which was held in Athens in 1996.  The stadium was originally completed in 1982 but underwent substantial alteration (including a renaming) in connection with the Games.

Contributor AdventurousDrone created this drone video of Utah Olympic Park, one of the primary venues for the 2002 Winter Olympics which were held in Salt Lake City.  The Olympic Park is located near Park City, a half hour drive east of Salt Lake City.  Officially the XIX Winter Games, the great international winter sports competition was held in February of 2002.  These were the first Winter Olympics games held in the US Rocky Mountains; Denver had been awarded the 1976 games but withdrew and the games were held in Innsbruck, Austria.  

Sydney is Australia's largest city and the capital of New South Wales, its largest state.  Host of the 2000 Olympic Games, Sydney is widely considered to be among the world's most beautiful cities; partly for that reason, it's also among the most expensive.  Contributor and pilot Potent Sky used a DJI Mavic Pro drone to fly over this amazing metropolis.  Highlights of this aerial tour include the Botanical Gardens, Observatory Hill, Barangaroo, South Head, Vaucluse, Watsons Bay, and more.

Hakuba is a village in the Japanese Alps that lies just outside the host city of the 1998 Winter Olympics, Nagano.  It is situated roughly in the geographic center of the island of Honshu, the main island of the Japanese Archipelago.  Hakuba is popular in winter because of all the outdoor activities locals and tourists can participate in like down hill and cross country skiing. Enjoying those winter activities is pilot HAYDEN KAST. He’s brought his drone with him to take in the 120 mile long Japanese Alps. 

In this drone video by contributor capture_a_moment, you'll get an informative 40 second aerial tour of Atlanta, Georgia in April.  The video opens with a great shot of the Olympic logo near Turner Field south of downtown, which was originally Olympic Stadium where many of the events of the 1996 Olympic Games were held.  From there you'll get some nice views of downtown, of the city's extensive freeway system, the giant convention center, and the Centennial Olympic Park and its giant ferris wheel.    

Lillehammer is probably the best known city in eastern Norway, after the capital city Oslo.  It is situated in Oppland County, about 170 km (approximately 100 mi) north of the capital.  It is in a valley surrounded by mountains.  Lillehammer is perhaps best known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics.  Lillehammer enjoys the distinction of being the northernmost city to ever host the Olympics.  Beta Films brings us this amazing drone video of Lillehammer and its beautiful alpine surroundings.

Contributor and FPV TapkiFPV created this epic first person view (FPV) dive of one of the most visible landmarks from Barcelona's 1992 Olympic Games.  The Montjuïc Communications Tower (aka Calatrava Tower) was constructed in the years leading up to the games as part of the broadcasting infrastructure for the event.  Located in the Olympic Park, the tower stands just over 135 meters (446 ft.) tall.  Watch the video to get a unique perspective on this landmark on the city's Montjuïc hill.  

Contributor M_C_Black created this phenomenal aerial video of one of the biggest ski resorts in France: the Le Arcs resort.  It's one of the mega-resorts of the Tarentaise Valley in Savoy, in the heart of one of the world's great ski regions.  The resort features over 100 runs and over 50 lifts; the highest skiable peak is  Aiguille Rouge, which offers a drop of over 2k meters (about 6.7l ft.).  Part of the Paradiski system, Le Arcs was one of the main venues for skiing events at the 1992 Winter Olympics hosted in nearby Albertville. 

Banpo Hangang Park is situated on the Han River in Seoul, the great metropolis which is both the capital of and the and largest city in South Korea.  AirVuz contributor Roam with John created an amazing video by flying his drone over this park during the day and also at night.  You'll get a splendid view of the park as well as the gleaming skyline of Seoul.  Having been thrust on the world stage as host of the 1988 Summer Olympics, Seoul is now the center of one of the world's largest metropolitan areas.    

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is one of the most storied sports venues in the USA.  Built in the 1920's, it was expanded to be the prime venue for the 1932 Summer Olympics, a role it replayed when LA hosted its second Olympics in 1984.  At times, it was also home to the LA Rams and Raiders of the National Football League, all the while the home field of the storied University of Southern California (USC) football team.  In this video, DeeFair23 gives us a bird's eye view of the great sports venue.

Adanz75 used a drone to film a sad reminder of the violence that engulfed Yugoslavia just a few years after Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Olympic Winter Games.  Less than a decade later, Yugoslavia had dissolved and much of the region had plunged into a bloody civil war whose epicenter was in what is now Bosnia Herzegovina.  While Bosnia and indeed all of its former compatriots have since recovered, the remains of the Olympic site are a sad reminder of this late 20th century tragedy.

Check out this stunning drone video from Moscow, compliments of top AirVuz contributor pushkinflyteam.  Shot during the dusk and evening hours, some of the highlights include (in order of first appearance) the Moscow State University complex, the Stalinist era architectural masterpiece; the sleek modern skyscrapers of the Moscow International Business Center (Moscow City) high rise district; the Kremlin; and the brilliantly lit Luzhniki Stadium, the main venue for the partially-boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics.

AirVuz contributor and pilot mediabymartin brings us this excellent drone video of the Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex in Lake Placid, New York.  The complex has two jumps, one of which is 295 ft. (90 m) and the other 394 ft. (120 m).  The complex was the venue for the ski jumping events at the 1980 Winter Olympics (the XIII Olympic Winter Games), when the towers were graded for 70m and 90m, and the earlier 1932 Winter Olympics (III Olympic Winter Games), when there was a single 75m jump which was subsequently demolished.

During the last two weeks of July, 1976, the Canadian city Montreal became the center of the world.  As host city of the 1976 Summer Olympics, Montreal had the added burden of being the first Summer Games host following the terrorism-marred games of Munich four years earlier in which several Israeli athletes were killed.  In this video, contributor realMont Vlog - Montreal gives us a drone's eye view of Olympic Stadium, which was the main venue for the event and became the home stadium for the Montreal Expos baseball team.  

Watch this amazing video of the Austrian Alps, compliments of contributor Marian Peciar.  It was shot in the area around Innsbruck, the host city for both the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics.  It includes footage of Lake Plansee and Nordkette.  It also includes footage from the top of the Axamer Lizum ski resort, the venue for the slalom skiing events at both Olympics.   The 1976 Games were originally scheduled to be held in Denver, but the US city withdrew and the games were awarded to Innsbruck for a second time.  

New Entertainment pictures created this magnificent aerial tour of Munich, Germany's third largest city (after Berlin and Hamburg) and the capital of the state of Bavaria.  Situated just north of the Bavarian Alps, Munich is an important center for German culture.  The video features footage of some of the city's top sights, including the twin-domed Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), the Olympiapark (venue for the 1972 Olympic Games), the Marienplatz (the historic town center), and more.  

Content creator and pilot Normal Mexican Guy created this fascinating drone video of the Virgilio Uribe rowing course in the Xochimilco District south of central Mexico City.  It runs through a series of canals here which are vestiges from the extensive lake system which covered much of the Valley of Mexico in Pre-Columbian times but which was drained by the Spanish to control floods.  Famously, the course was used as the venue for rowing events when Mexico City hosted the 1968 Summer Olympics.  

Contributor lempreinte-STD created this beautiful drone video of France's Chartreuse Mountains, one of the ranges that make up the French Pre-alps chain.   The highest peak in th Chartreuse, Chamechaude, reaches an altitude of just under 2.1k meters above sea level (just over 6.8k ft.), and most of the mountains are accessible by hiking.  The mountains extend north from Grenoble, the 1968 Olympics host city and the city generally regarded as the capital of the French Alps region as a whole.  

Japan's capital Tokyo is center of the largest metropolitan area in the world.  In this video, which was nominated for the Drone Video of the Year Awards in the Cities category, contributor Big Head Greg takes us on an aerial tour of this gigantic city.  It is situated at the confluence of several rivers on the east coast of the island of Honshu (the largest of Japan's four main islands), at the head of Tokyo Bay on the Pacific Ocean.  Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics and will be hosting its second in 2020. 

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot Mauro Sciambi brings us this excellent FPV tour of Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy.  Initially opened in 1953 after a construction period of several decades (interrupted, in part, due to World War II), the facility was extensively renovated to serve as one of the main venues for the 1960 Summer Olympics (XVII Olympiad) held in August and September of that year.  It was further renovated to serve as the main stadium for the 1990 World Cup.  It currently seats about 70k fans.  

Contributor and pilot Brad Scott Visuals created this stunning aerial of Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on the border between California and Nevada.  With a surface area of just under 490 square km (around 190 square mi.), it's the largest Alpine lake in North America and the sixth largest by water volume, and it's #2 for maximum depth at 500m (1.6k ft.).  Famously, the lake was used to film a scene at the end of The Godfather: Part II (1974), and nearby Squaw Valley hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics.

You'll get a nice drone's eye view of Australia's second largest city in this video by contributor and pilot Jasonkmclean.  Host of the 1956 Summer Olympics, Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria, in Australia's  southeastern corner.  While it is Australia's #2 city, Melbourne was the country's largest city for many years, and remained Australia's primary business and financial center until fairly recently.  Even today, it is home to five of Australia's seven tallest buildings.

Contributor nicolaf degauls created this stunning drone video of Mt. Faloria in northeastern Italy. It's part of the Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy's most well known ski area, which is situated in the Belluno province of the Italy's Veneto region.  Cortina d'Ampezzo has appeared in numerous feature movies (including in installments of the James Bond and Pink Panther series), and it also hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics.  At the Olympics, the Men's Giant Slalom event was held on the slopes of Faloria.

Helsinki is the capital of and the most important city in the Scandinavian country of Finland.  The city, which hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics, sits on the Gulf of Finland, which connects to the Baltic Sea.  Like a number of other northern European cities, Helsinki has long been considered one of the world's most liveable cities, with many awards to that effect.  Contributor DavidfromHelsinki used his DJI Mavic Pro drone to create an amazing aerial video of this important Baltic Sea seaport city, host of the 1952 Summer Olympics.    

At the end of the Oslofjord, in the southeastern part of Norway, lies its capital city Oslo.  The city was believed to be founded by Vikings in the 11th century.  The center of a metropolitan area of about 1.6 million inhabitants, it's the third-largest city in Scandinavia after Stockholm and Copenhagen.  Contributor Anders Edholm flew a DJI Mavic Pro drone over this remarkable city on one of the great fjords of Norway.  Oslo hosted the 1952 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Games to be held since before World War II.

Famously, the German city of Berlin hosted the last Summer Olympics held before the onset of World War II, during the first half of August, 1936.  Adolph Hitler and other top leaders of Nazi Germany were in attendance, and the American athlete Jesse Owens' four gold medals in track and field were regarded as an affront to Nazi ideals about racial supremacy.  In this drone video by Aliencopter, you'll get a bird's eye view of the Berlin Olympic grounds, including the Bell Tower and the Berlin Olympic Stadium.