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)

Friends take photos of themselves on La Ultima beach which was reopened this week after it was closed for months amid the COVID-19 pandemic in La Guaira, Venezuela, Friday, October 23, 2020. Strict quarantine restrictions forced the closure of beaches across the country in March and reopened this week in hopes of revitalizing the battered economy. (Photo by Matias Delacroix/AP Photo)

Steve Kent skis through Times Square during a snowstorm, Monday, February 1, 2021, in the Manhattan borough of New York. (Photo by John Minchillo/AP Photo)

A biker carrying huge bags of recyclables travels on a street outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Saturday, March 27, 2021. (Photo by Heng Sinith/AP Photo)

Two copper sharks ride the waves in Red Bluff Beach, Australia on July, 2020. Professional photographer Sean Scott, 43, from Burleigh Heads, Australia, caught the stunning snap. (Photo by Sean Scott/MediaDrumImages/@seanscottphotography)

A drag performer dances at the end of the “Rally for Our Rights”, ahead of the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, outside the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S., April 2, 2023. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Brazil's tallest teen is set marry her beau – despite him being over a foot smaller than her. Elisany da Cruz Silva (18) is a staggering 6ft 8ins (206 cm) tall while her compact fiancee Francinaldo da Silva Carvalho is only 5ft 4ins (162 cm). Despite a massive 1ft 4ins between them, Francinaldo had no problem increasing the distance by dropping to one knee after a romantic stroll along the beach. (Photo by Barcroft Media)

Palestinians scuffle with Israeli forces at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on December 8, 2017. Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces after calls for a “day of rage” as US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital sent shockwaves through the region for a second day. (Photo by Thomas Coex/AFP Photo)