Spain at the 2012 Summer Olympics
| Spain at the 2012 Summer Olympics |
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| IOC code | ESP | ||||||||
| NOC | Spanish Olympic Committee | ||||||||
| Website |
www |
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| in London | |||||||||
| Competitors | 278 in 23 sports | ||||||||
| Flag bearer |
Pau Gasol (opening) Saúl Craviotto (closing) |
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Medals Ranked 21st |
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| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |||||||||
| Qualified for the quarterfinals |
| Qualified for the quarterfinals |
Spain competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This nation has competed in every Summer Olympic Games since its official debut in 1920. Spain, however, boycotted two editions, the 1936 Summer Olympics in Nazi Germany, and the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, as a protest against the Soviet invasion of Hungary. The Spanish Olympic Committee sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games since 1988. A total of 278 athletes, 166 men and 112 women, competed in 23 sports.
Spain left London with a total of 17 Olympic medals (3 gold, 10 silver, and 4 bronze), failing only a single medal short of the total achieved in Beijing. Three of these medals were each awarded to the team in taekwondo and canoeing, and two each in sailing, swimming, and synchronized swimming. Three Spanish athletes won more than a single medal in London, while all of their competitors in synchronized swimming and taekwondo events won at least one medal. Spain's team-based athletes also proved successful in London, as the women's handball and water polo teams won silver and bronze medals, respectively. The men's basketball team managed to repeat its silver medal from Beijing. At these Olympic games, Spain, however, did not win an Olympic medal in tennis, a first since it was reintroduced as a full-medal sport in 1988, and in cycling for the first time since that same year.
Among the nation's medalists were sailor Marina Alabau in women's windsurfing, and sprint kayaker Saúl Craviotto, who previously won the gold in Beijing. Three athletes won Spain's first Olympic medals in their respective disciplines: triathlete Javier Gómez Noya, slalom kayaker Maialen Chourraut, and freestyle wrestler Maider Unda. Sprint canoer David Cal, who won silver in London, became the first Spanish athlete in history with a total of five Olympic medals. Meanwhile, Mireia Belmonte became the first Spanish swimmer in history to win two Olympic medals.
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Wikipedia