Athletes around the world, from the smallest countries to the richest nations, train for the upcoming 2012 London Olympics.
Italian gymnast Vanessa Ferrari attends a training session to prepare for the Olympics in Brescia March 12, 2012. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
Gaza runner Bahaa al-Farra stretches during a training session as children mimic him while posing for the camera in Shati refugee camp in Gaza City March 25, 2012. The 19-year-old trains for three hours a day in Gaza's Yarmouk soccer stadium, along the dusty streets and on the beach in well worn trainers that were donated to the Palestine Olympic Committee by wealthy Gulf state, Qatar, as he prepares to race at the London Olympics. Picture taken March 25, 2012.
U.S. platform diver Haley Ishimatsu trains for the London 2012 Olympics in Los Angeles, California, March 28, 2012. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Tunisian wrestler Haithem Belaiech (in blue) trains for the 2012 London Olympic Games in Tunis March 29, 2012. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
German beach volleyball players Sara Goller (R), 27, and Laura Ludwig, 26, train for the London 2012 Olympics in Manhattan Beach, California, April 9, 2012.
Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia throws a hammer during his training for the 2012 London Olympics in Brezice March 22, 2012. Kozmus was the Olympic gold medallist from Beijing and World Champion from Berlin. Picture taken March 22, 2012
Track cycling sprinter Kevin Mansker of the U.S. trains for the London 2012 Olympics in Carson, near Los Angeles, California, April 11, 2012.
Track cycling sprinter Simona Krupeckaite of Lithuania leaves the training session for the London 2012 Olympics in Panevezis April 12, 2012.
Argentine born boxer Tamara Fabiana Garcia gets punched in the face by fellow boxer Jennifer Miranda during a training session at a high-performance sports centre in Los Alcazares, southeastern Spain, April 2, 2012. Five young fighters are training hard ahead of next month's world championships in Qinhuangdao, China, where competition will be fierce for the precious 24 qualification slots - eight in each of the three weight categories - for this year's summer Games. Women's boxing is being included in the Olympics for the first time in London and while the Spanish hopefuls know it will be incredibly tough to even qualify, they are filled with pride that the sport they have dedicated their lives to is finally getting the recognition they believe it deserves. Picture taken April 2, 2012.
Tyler Hinton takes a breath after going under the water while competing in the men's C1 during the U.S. Olympic trials for whitewater slalom in Charlotte, North Carolina April 13, 2012.
Hungarian swimmer Laszlo Cseh swims underwater during a training session in Budapest April 12, 2012.
Austrian gymnast and Olympic hopeful Caroline Weber practises with the ribbon during a training session in Vienna April 19, 2012. Weber, 26, who practices six hours a day five days a week, will participate in the rhythmic gymnastics competition at the London 2012 Olympic games.
Helana Scott runs with the Olympic torch before boarding a train during the London 2012 Olympic Games Torch Relay rehearsal at Great Central Railway in Leicester, central England April 20, 2012.
Italian Olympic team archer Marco Galiazzo prepares to release an arrow during a training session in Padua, northern Italy, April 21, 2012. Galiazzo won the gold medal in the men's individual archery event at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, and will take part in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Olympic hopeful Abdul Rashid Bangura, 27, shadow boxes while training at the national stadium in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown, April 25, 2012. Sierra Leone's national boxing team was scrambling on Wednesday to raise money to send athletes to an Olympic qualifying event starting in Morocco on Friday, but lack of financing and government support means the competition is likely out of reach for most of the national team.
Austrian table tennis players Chen Weixing, Li Qiangbing, Robert Gardos and Werner Schlager (LtoR) serve the ball during a training session in Schwechat outside Vienna May 2, 2012. Chen, Li, Gardos and Schleger will participate at the 2012 Olympic Games. Picture taken May 2, 2012.
Olympic weightlifter Andrei Aramnau lifts weights during a training session at a sports base in the town of Bobruisk, some 140 km (87 miles) southeast of Minsk, March 21, 2012. Winning the national championship has convinced Belarussian lifter Aramnau that he has put behind two drink-driving convictions and the resultant two-year ban to be on course for a second Olympic gold. Aramnau's confidence stemmed from his victory in the national championship two months ago with a 400kg lift. The 24-year-old lifter was working overtime to get into shape and was confident of hitting top form in the London Olympics. Photo taken March 21, 2012.
Brazilian Ronald Juliao prepares to throw a discus during a training session at the Athletics Center in Sao Caetano do Sul, near Sao Paulo May 17, 2012. Juliao will be taking part in the 2012 London Olympics.
Tunisian Taekwondo athlete Khaoula Ben Hamza (in blue) trains during preparaions for the 2012 London Olympic Games in Tunis May 25, 2012.
Milagros Cabral, captain of the Dominican Republic volleyball team practices during training season at the Olympic center in Santo Domingo in this picture taken May 22, 2012.The team qualified for one of the only three spots for women's volleyball teams from the Americas to play at the London Olympics, along with the United States and Brazil. Picture taken May 22, 2012. REUTERS/Kena Betancur
Shot putter Tomasz Majewski of Poland trains for the 2012 London Olympic Games at the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw April 17, 2012. Majewski won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with 21.51 meters and is considered as one of the favourites for the 2012 London Olympic Games this year. Picture taken April 17, 2012. REUTERS/Peter Andrews
Jay Chau, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Kiteboarding Federation, takes part in a training session at Shui Hau Wan at Hong Kong's Lantau Island May 12, 2012. The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) announced the decision to include men's and women's kiteboarding at the expense of windsurfing earlier this month, describing it as a "fantastic addition" for the Games in Rio de Janeiro. Picture taken May 12, 2012.
Kuwaiti Shooter Mariam Erzouqi, 24, poses as she takes aim during practice at the Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex in Kuwait, May 26, 2012. Mariam Erzouqi grips her German-made air rifle with carefully-manicured hands, steadies her footing, eyes the target and slowly pulls the trigger until a soft crack echoes through Kuwait's cavernous shooting range. The 24-year-old is set to become the second Kuwaiti woman to compete at an Olympic Games and will take dead aim at a medal in the 10 and 50 metres air rifle in London.
Spain's David Cal paddles his canoe single (C1) during a training session on the River Lerez in the city of Pontevedra May 17, 2012. Cal is months away from a shot at winning a fifth Olympic medal, which would make him Spain's most decorated Olympian. The man who had the honour of carrying the Spanish flag at the opening ceremony in the Beijing Olympics competes in the C1 class canoe, where the competitor kneels in his craft and uses a single paddle down one side. Picture taken May 17, 2012. To match OLY-CANO-SPAIN-CAL/ REUTERS/Miguel Vidal