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)

A general view of Hong Kong's business district is seen Thursday, August 1, 2013. (Photo by Vincent Yu/AP Photo)

Florence Welch of Florence And The Machine performs at Spark Arena on January 30, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Dave Simpson/WireImage)

High-rise buildings are partly covered by heavy fog at Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour Monday, March 20, 2017. Fog blanketing Hong Kong is common in springtime and may greatly affect shipping and aviation. (Photo by Vincent Yu/AP Photo)

A window cleaner passes a lighter to his colleague while rappelling from a new building in Tianjin March 23, 2007. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A view of the fireworks during the Edge at Hudson Yard's 4th of July Celebration at Edge at Hudson Yards on July 04, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Edge at Hudson Yards)

The Royal Castle is seen a veil of heavy winter smog in Budapest, Hungary on January 30, 2017. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Reuters)

Rays from the rising sun shine through the foliage of trees as fog covers the ground near the Guckler Karoly Observatory in Budapest, Hungary, 02 January 2017. (Photo by Balazs Mohai/EPA)