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)

An Israeli activist dressed as a clown runs around security forces as they arrest a protester near a police checkpoint at the entrance of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in east Jerusalem, on June 25, 2021. Tensions between Israel and Palestinians that lead to 11 days of military violence last month, initially flared in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood where Israeli police cracked down on people protesting the planned expulsion of Palestinian families from their homes so Jewish settlers could move in. (Photo by Ahmad Gharabli/AFP Photo)

Fans of Germany enjoy the pre match atmosphere prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Costa Rica and Germany at Al Bayt Stadium on December 01, 2022 in Al Khor, Qatar. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

A child with his body and face painted prepares to attend the sacred Ngerebeg ritual at the Tegallalang village in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia, 03 April 2024. The sacred Ngerebeg ritual takes place every six months and it is mainly aimed at driving all evil spirits out of the villages. During the ritual, the participants paint their bodies in various colors and patterns to join the procession across the village. (Photo by Made Nagi/EPA/EFE)

A street performer jumps in the air inside Central Park as the colors of autumn become more prevalent in New York, October 29, 2015. (Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

A tattoo artist applying ink on a girl's thigh at the 2016 Italian Tattoo Artists at the Palavela on September 17, 2016 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/ZUMA Press/Splash News)

A performer takes part in the annual street parade, which is part of the Carnival of Cultures celebrating the multi-ethnic diversity of the city, in Berlin, Germany on May 20, 2018. (Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

People wearing mushroom hats stand in front of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 14, 2021. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)