The Rio de Janeiro Olympics kick off on August 5 for some two weeks of competitive games drawing athletes as well as audiences from around the world. As they prepare to cover the event, Reuters photographers look back on their favourite pictures from past Olympics where they captured the action on the ground as well as the participants' tears and joy that followed. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

“Oak Sunrise” by professional photographer Alan Price has won the International Garden Photographer of the Year, “Celebrating Our Oaks” competition, run in partnership with Action Oak. Action Oak is a campaign to protect the UK’s oak trees from threats including pests and diseases. (Photo by Alan Price/IGOTY)

Hunting for a Salmon (more precisely – Oncorhynchus nerka). Scene of action: Kuril lake, Kamchatka, Russia. Action time: October – end of November, 2012. (Photo by Sergey Gorshkov)

Sepak Takraw, ISTAF Super Series Finals Thailand 2014/2015, Nakhon Pathom Municipal Gymnasium, Huyjorake Maung, Nakonprathom, Thailand on October 20, 2015: Thailand's Sudaporn Palang in action during the group stage. (Photo by Asia Sports Ventures/Action Images via Reuters)

Early morning storms over the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya on August 26, 2016. (Photo by Action Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka in action with AFC Bournemouth’s Bafode Diakite in Sunderland, UK on November 29, 2025. (Photo by Scott Heppell/Reuters)

Scene of action – Gonk Kong. Action time – 2012. Genre: street photo. In my opinion, very interestingly, enjoy. (Photo by Arnd)

On February 16, 2025, Finna Indriani, a 27-year-old female jockey, showcased her skills in a specialized “sport-action” performance during the “Roda Gila” entertainment event at a traditional night market in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. (Photo by Sutanta Aditya/Rex Features/Shutterstock)