The success of this past summer’s Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Nanjing may have come at a heavy price, as many of the trees used to make the area nearby the Olympic Village more aesthetically pleasing are now dead, reports Caijing.

As revealed by one worker, the trees were hurriedly brought in and transplanted during the wrong season, leading to their early demise.

Yesterday, workers dug out the dead trees and left them at the side of the road, waiting to be moved. The trees were 20 to 30 centimeters in diameter, and measured five to six meters high.

The Nanjing Olympic Village officially opened on August 12 to host athletes for the Youth Olympic Games, held from August 16 to 28. It was a fantastic opening ceremony, as Xinhua reported:

Pre-school girls clad in bright pink dresses with huge bows in their hair danced with great enthusiasm while official IOC guests waved plush Games mascots in sync with the music.

These trees appear to have served their use well in making the YOG a success.

Photo: Caijing