United Kingdom

Goodbye baseball and softball, hello women's boxing, revamped medal events, rules changes, laser guns, a wild move, gender history and a trailblazing Paralympian

The grand old city rescued the Games as a last-minute host in 1908 and '48, and its record third Olympics, planned through seven years of triumph and tragedy, should be a vibrant (if possibly soggy) model for the future

They might not fit the standard definition of a team, but the 530 athletes who will compete for the U.S. in London are precisely that, not least because they reflect—in their stories and aspirations—the very best of...

A TALE OF TWO TIGERS

The best and worst of nationalism run through the Olympics. The worst is easy: Berlin 1936, Munich 1972. The best is harder to pin, but it is based on pride in where you come from—including your culture's diversity...