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What happens to Olympic venues like the stunning Bird's Nest and sleek Water Cube when the Olympics end?

There's a couple interesting articles surfacing on this issue that highlight the disrepair, neglect and sad ending that's come to some of the buildings from previous Olympics, and how that's not expected to happen in China.

Slate reports that some of the buildings from the 2004 Athens Games are now occupied by squatters while others a sucking up millions in public funds for costly maintenance. It lists the conversion of a building built for the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid to a prison as one of the worst examples of reuse.

China, however, is being hailed for its plans to continue using most of the 33 newly constructed or renovated venues around Beijing, according to this AFP report. The story goes on to note that usability and sustainability of buildings are now key requirements in the Olympic host city bidding process.

Then there's this Yahoo! Sports article that elaborates more on the situation in Athens, where reporter Martin Rogers explains that "The Olympics are now almost a dirty word in Athens, most regularly used by politicians who use the issue of decay as a powerful campaigning point."

As for Beijing, he says, "there is a legacy of pride, and a spectacular standard of responsible spending for future hosts to uphold."