As sports fans and Anglophiles alike descend on London for the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics, designers are capitalizing on British mania with special items to mark the occasion.
olympics
Best Magazine Assignment Ever: Neil Leifer’s 1984 Olympic Odyssey Around the World
Neil Leifer spent a year traversing the globe to photograph athletes for TIME’s 1984 Olympics special issue
The Way We Were: 1948 London Olympians Look Back
Olympic medalists from the 1948 games in London remember their experiences in the post-war ‘austerity’ Olympics. Even with a tiny budget and a war-worn country, the athletes managed to have a good time.
London 2012: Kate Middleton’s Family Slammed for Cashing In on the Olympics
Lawyers representing the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) have asked the family of the Duchess of Cambridge to amend the web site to their online party business so that it complies with advertising laws …
Behind the Covers: Martin Schoeller’s Portraits of the 2012 U.S. Olympians
In his portrait series of gold-medal hopefuls for TIME’s 2012 Olympics special issue, Martin Schoeller shows three U.S. team members whose passion for sport isn’t contained by training center walls
Three Cheers for London
The Olympics head to Britain for an unprecedented third time. Global economic gloom can’t dim the competition for gold
London Rings
From whiff waff to water polo, Olympic sports are heeding the call and heading home for a great Games
China’s Gold Standard
China’s athletes demolish the competition in weight lifting and diving. It’s not a passion; it’s a job
Fight Club
The wrestlers of Chechnya and Dagestan compete as Russians. But in the hills — and even the gym — Russia is still the enemy
Gabby Douglas: Team USA’s Flip Artist
Gabby Douglas swapped families and changed coaches to make herself an Olympic contender