MNN - Mother Nature Network

Repping their country with funky tights

Women wearing tights with the image of the U.K. flag and the U.S. flag stand in the grass of London's Olympic Park on July 27, the first official day of sporting events for the 2012 Summer Games.

 

Just after Usain Bolt won the 200-meter dash on Aug. 9, Twitter reported that he also managed to set a "new Olympic Games conversation record with over 80,000 [tweets per minute]" in response to his victory. Although the games are being dubbed the "Twitter Olympics" for good reason, plenty of other social media giants are bursting with Olympic excitement as well. Instagram is experiencing an impressive influx of "Olympstagrams" — there's even a Tumblr devoted to rounding up the Olympics-related cellphone images.

 

Glowing arena

Fans are silhouetted by the magenta glow of the exterior of the basketball arena on Aug. 1 in London's Olympic Park.

 

The arena, which is hosting basketball and handball for both the Olympics and the Paralympics, will be disassembled after the conclusion of the games, making it one of the largest temporary venues ever built for the Olympics.

 

Olympic pin collection

Dozens of pins from past Olympic games are on display on Aug. 7 near London's Strattford Station — which serves as the main public transportation point for the Olympic Park.