Description
They were the third held in the British capital, a total of 10,568 athletes (5892 men and 4676 women) from 204 countries participated.
On July 6, 2005, during the 117th Session of the International Olympic Committee held in Singapore, the city of London beat Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow in four rounds of voting.
The London Games were planned to create venues and infrastructure in a "sustainable manner". In addition to seeking the improvement and expansion of urban infrastructure and a real use of Olympic facilities, and above all the transformation and regeneration - through the creation of the London Olympic Park - of the eastern part of the city. As well as using the Games as a catalyst for social inclusion and environmental awareness.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei included female athletes on their team for the first time, making London 2012 the first Olympic Games to feature women from all delegations.
Michael Phelps became the most decorated athlete with six medals -four golds and two silvers-, as did the United States with a total of 104.