The Beijing Olympics so far have been one for the books.  We've seen some of the most amazing moments in Olympic history and as of this writing the games aren't even over yet.  And as usual, there are many lessons to take away from these games, and what better art form to express them in than that of "motivational posters."  The following are some of the moments I found most compelling and the lessons I feel we can all take away from them (with the backstories included).

Backstory:  On the opening day of the Olympic games in Beijing while Billions of people were watching the most intense and awe-inspiring (and fear inducing) opening ceremonies in history, Russia invades Georgia after becoming fed up with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.  The only thing that would have made this photograph more ironic are weights in the blue white and red colors of Russia's flag.

Backstory (no pun intended): As if the backstory on this one really matters, apparently there are a lot of signs that beach volleyball players flash at each other to communicate strategy covertly.  At any rate, the photographers over at MSNBC found it interesting enough to take a whole mess of photos of, which you can view here (they call the photo series "Cracking the Code", I shit you not).

Backstory: Pictured above is Jared Talient of Austraila who took bronze in the 20k Race Walk.  I never assumed that walking could be difficult enough to induce vomiting, but then again I'd never seen Olympic class Race Walking.  Wow.

Backstory: You're either living under a rock or vehemently anti-American if you don't know what this is a picture of.  Michael Phelps ends up edging out Serbia's Milorad Cavic by one one-hundredth of a second to win an astonishing 7th gold medal, tying the previous record for golds in a single olympics held by Mark Spitz of the same sport and country.  Cavic's team actually contested the result it was so close, but the sensors and high speed cameras never lie..

Backstory:  It's the race to determine the fastest human being on earth, the 100 meter dash.  This guys freaking name is Usain Bolt.  BOLT!??  With a name like that you don't need a nickname, but they gave him one anyways for good measure (the exceedingly clever "Lightning" Bolt).  Usain ran the race so fast that he began his celebration with 20 meters left to go and STILL smashed the world record of 9.72s by doing it in 9.69s.  It would have been the moment of the olympics if he hadn't been such a royal cocktard leading up to and after the race.  Complete with gold shoes and a saunter that would make Terrel Owens blush, Usain gave new meaning to the expression "rubbing it in."

Backstory: For China, the Beijing games were not just an honor, they were a challenge to be risen up to.  They see these games as their chance to finally buck the "Sick Man of the East" stereotype that has plagued them for decades.  And what better way to do it than in gymnastics, arguably one of the most physically demanding sports on the planet.  Determined to settle for nothing less than gold, the Chinese put together world class Mens and Womens gymnastic teams and delivered on those high expectations.  However, the success wasn't without controversy; rumors persist that some of the Chinese gymnastics "women" weren't 16 and thus not old enough to qualify for the competition.  Younger gymnasts are more flexible, have better balance, and are more willing to take dangerous risks than older gymnasts, so it's no wonder the Chinese snuck these toddlers into the competition. Look at the girl on the far right and tell me she's not watching Teletubbies in the locker room between events.

Backstory: In what will probably go down as the biggest hissy fit in Olympic history, Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian tossed his bronze medal to the ground and left the podium in disgust.  He didn't get to keep it as you might imagine.  Check it out:

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