Qatar competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation at London marked its eighth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1984 Summer Olympics. The delegation sent by the Qatar Olympic Committee consisted of twelve athletes in athletics, shooting, swimming and table tennis. The 2012 Games marked the first time Qatar sent female athletes to the Olympic Games; following the 2008 Summer Olympics, it had been one of only three countries, along with Saudi Arabia and Brunei, to never have done so. Seven of the twelve competitors automatically qualified for their respective events while the remaining five athletes used wild cards to partake in the Games. This was Qatar's most successful Olympics since the 2000 Sydney Games, winning a total of two Olympic medals. Skeet shooter Nasser Al-Attiyah, and high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim both won bronze medals in their respective sports for the first time. The latter got promoted to silver in 2021 since the original gold medalist Ukhov in the event was disqualified. Background Qatar participated in all eight Summer Olympic Games from its début at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States to the 2012 London Olympics. At the time of the London Games, two Qatari athletes had won medals at the Olympic Games—Mohamed Suleiman and Said Saif Asaad, who won bronze in the 1992 and the 2000 Olympics. Qatar participated in the London Summer Games from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Following the 2008 Summer Olympics, Qatar, along with Saudi Arabia and Brunei, was one of only three countries never have sent a female athlete to the Olympic Games. In 2010, however, the Qatar Olympic Committee announced that it "hoped to send up to four female athletes in shooting and fencing" to the 2012 London Olympics, and it ended up sending four women in four events. The Qatari delegation to London consisted of 12 athletes: athletics competitors Noor Al-Malki, Musaeb Abdulrahman Balla, Mohamad Al-Garni, Hamza Driouch, Mohammed Abduh Bakhet and Mutaz Essa Barshim, shooters Rashid Al-Athba, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Bahiya Al-Hamad, swimmers Ahmed Atari and Nada Arkaji and table tennis player Aya Majdi. Al-Hamad was selected to be the flag bearer for the opening ceremony, while Bakhet carried it at the closing ceremony. Medallists Athletics 20-year-old Mohamed Al-Garni made his Olympic début at the London Games. Al-Garni