They come, bearing skills, to the appointed arena. And every Olympic athlete brings along another possession as well: a heritage conditioned by distinctive language, customs and geography. This haze of individuality is burned off by the heat of competition; swimmers, runners, jumpers, gymnasts, all of them, doing what they do best, can come to seem alike. That homogeneity defines, in large measure, the Olympic ideal. But the flame feeds on man's diversities as well as similarities. In this portfolio of photographs, TIME portrays some of...
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