London 2012 Olympic Games

The 2012 London Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, or more commonly as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event, held in the city of London, United Kingdom, between July 27 and August 12, 2012. In these Games, the third held in the British capital, A total of 10,568 athletes (5,892 men and 4,676 women) from 204 countries participated.

On July 27, Queen Elizabeth II opened the Olympic Games at 12:21 a.m. m. BST during the opening ceremony - originally called "Isles of Wonder", and "Islas Maravillosas" in Spanish -. However, the group stage of the women's soccer tournament began two days earlier, on July 25, 2012 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

On July 6, 2005, during the 117th Session of the International Olympic Committee in Singapore, the City of London defeated Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow in four rounds of voting. London's bid It was led by Sebastian Coe —Chairman of the Bid Committee and later Chairman of the Organizing Committee— and Ken Livingstone —Mayor of the city at the time.

The London Games were planned to create venues and infrastructure in a "sustainable way". 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 -for through the creation of the London Olympic Park—in the East End of London. As well as using the Games as a catalyst for social inclusion and raising awareness about environmental issues.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei all included female athletes in their squad 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. Women's boxing was included for the first time, so in these Games women participated in all Olympic sports.

Background

400 years before London 2012, Robert Dover inaugurated the first Cotswold Olympic Games held in the village of Chipping Campden., which included races, throws, stone lifting, horse racing, wrestling, bag jumping, stick fencing and shin kicks, among others, also alternated with festivities and meals. These Games, created in honor of the Olympic Games of antiquity, were one of the "inspirations" for the creation of the Wenlock Olympic Society in 1850. In 1890, William Penny Brookes—founder of the Society—invited Baron Pierre de Coubertin to the traditional Annual Games of the Olympic Society. Two years later, Coubertin and representatives of 12 countries—including the United Kingdom—founded the International Olympic Committee and a resolution was made to hold the first Olympic Games. modern impics in Athens after two years.

The Games of the Fourth Olympiad were held in London between April 27 and October 31, 1908. They were originally to be held in Rome, however the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1907 redirected the efforts of the Italian government to the reconstruction of Naples. This was the first edition with a 42.195-kilometre marathon, official codification and qualifying rounds, in addition to creating the Olympic legend Dorando Pietri. In total, 2024 athletes from 22 countries took part in 106 events of 24 Olympic sports. After the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Games, in 1948, the Olympic Movement returned to London. The "Austerity Games", which overcame the adversities caused by the war, marked a record by bringing together 4,372 athletes from 59 countries who took part in 136 events. Several innovations were made, such as the use of starting blocks in athletics, the first Olympic broadcast to home televisions and the introduction ion of the volunteers.

The United Kingdom is one of the five countries that have taken part in all the editions of the Games in which more than 7000 athletes have participated for a total of 704 medals won. In addition, five sessions of the International Olympic Committee have been held in this country, to which are added the more than 100 years of life of the British Olympic Association —BOA— And it was in this country where, in 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttmann created the Stoke Mandeville Games with which the Paralympic Movement began.

Preliminary work on the candidature

London's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics was the fourth British Olympic bid since London 1948. Previously in 1986, the city of Birmingham sought to host the 1992 Summer Olympics, however, it was eliminated in the second round of voting. Four years later, Manchester suffered the same fate in its 1996 bid. In the 1993 election, Manchester was once again chosen as the British candidate. This time it made it as far as the third round. That city's efforts were later rewarded by hosting the 2002 Commonwealth Games, which went a long way to "increasing the UK's credibility in terms of of the celebration of major sporting events".

After the failures of Birmingham and Manchester, in 1995, the BOA —with the help of several members of the IOC— decided to establish London as the only viable city to hold the Olympic Games. In this way, Craig Reedie, president of the David Luckes, a three-time Olympic hockey goalie, was asked by the BOA to become Coordinator of the London Olympic Project to produce a study on the feasibility of a London Games. The project began in February 1997, with a view to to the 2008 Olympic Games, however, the choice of Athens as the 2004 venue and the strength of Beijing's bid, decided the BOA to pursue the bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The project began with a study of the candidacies for the 2004 Olympic Games and with the creation of groups in charge of studying specific topics such as «Sports and Venues», «Transportation», «Location of the Olympic Village» and « Environment". These groups worked without a budget and were supported by the "time and good will" of individuals and organizations interested in the preliminary work of the candidacy. From 1993 to 2000, the project experienced a lack of cohesion from the London government, a situation that ended with the election of Ken Livingstone as mayor of the city and the creation of the Greater London Authority.

Finally, in 2001 the project ended with the publication of "The Feasibility of a London Olympic Bid", a 350-page report. The report identified 50 possible locations for a village of 16,000 athletes and presented three potential venues for the Games: West London —the centerpiece was Wembley Stadium and after abandoning this possibility the next option would be the creation of the Olympic Park in the area of Northolt Aerodrome or in the area of Southall Gas Work—, North-east London—the least favored option due to problems with access and proximity to existing sites and the city center—and East London—a contingency project due to the problems at Wembley. This project seemed be the best in terms of space, availability and access.

For the choice of the location, six fundamental aspects were considered: accessibility, legacy, adherence to the requirements of the International Federations, transport time, training facilities and avoidance of additional villas. After presenting the project to Livingstone, he He was in favor of holding the Games in the East End, which virtually put an end to the location debate. In mid-2002, a cost-benefit analysis was requested from Arup. This analysis concluded that the London Olympics would cost taxpayers £500 million.

On 15 January 2003, a poll commissioned by Tony Blair's government was published, revealing that 81% of Britons supported the bid. Even then-IOC President Jacques Rogge was skeptical in favor of London running by stating that the city "had a good chance of winning". However, the decision to support the bid or not was deferred. Finally, on 15 May 2003, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, announced that the British Government would support the candidacy. thus the application process.

Candidacy

Aspiring City

London Candidature Cartel at The Monument.

In June 2003, it was announced that Barbara Cassani, an American businesswoman, would serve as chair of the Bid Committee. At that time, the main objective was the implementation of the "necessary mechanisms for a successful bid », as well as establishing corporate arrangements and securing funding. On July 11, London's bid was made official. At that time, the cities of Madrid, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Havana, Moscow, Istanbul and Leipzig were already applicants. Following an agreement with the interested parties, London 2012 Ltd was established. >—a private company limited by guarantee. After the London 2012 Board was established, Cassani began to establish his management team, which included Keith Mills as Chief Executive Officer. He also began a tour of the country making speeches for " build credibility” to achieve the main objective, to achieve Candidate City status. However, the first step after the establishment of London 2012 Ltd was the creation of a logo and “look” for the project.

In November 2003, the final location of the Olympic Park, the East End, was announced. That same month, the logo for the bid was unveiled. The logo, which displayed "London 2012" in black capitals with the five interlocking Olympic colors following the shape of the river Thames, was designed by Kino Design and chosen from over 1,100 potential logos. On January 15, 2004, the Bid Committee submitted its responses to the Candidate City Questionnaire to the IOC. These responses were submitted in the form of a 25-page document with full details, delineation of proposed venues, and other information on the plans for London. The following day, Cassani, Blair and Livingstone presented the candidacy at the Royal Opera House.

When the candidacy was officially presented, the Committee sought media and popular support. The campaign, "Leap for London", sought to register public support. In addition, the Nations and Regions Group was created, a group created to ensure support from across the United Kingdom.

Candidate city

Sebastian Coe - the head of the London 2012 candidacy.

	Aspiring Cities Assessment City Note Paris 8.5 Madrid 8.3 London 7.6 New York 7.5 Moscow 6.5 Leipzig 6.0 Rio de Janeiro 5.1 Istanbul 4.8 Havana 3.6

On May 18, 2004, the International Olympic Committee announced that London had been selected as a Candidate City along with Paris, Madrid, London, New York and Moscow, which meant the end of the Olympic career for Leipzig, Rio, Istanbul and Havana. To celebrate this, a party was organized at the London Eye, which also served to reveal the new version of the logo —the old one added the Olympic rings and the words "Candidate City"—. The next day, Cassani resigned as president of the Organizing Committee, Sebastian Coe arrived in her place.

On the other hand, the IOC indicated in a report that, based on the responses submitted to the Candidate City Questionnaire, London should improve certain technical aspects of the bid and consider the relocation of several venues. sought the help of Peter Morris and Jim Sloman, the fencing venue was moved to the Olympic Park, Bisley's shooting to the Royal Artillery Barracks and the mountain biking was sent to Weald Country Park. On 26 June 2004, the Olympic flame traveled 30 miles from London. The British success in Athens 2004 and the IOC observer program were factors of great benefit to the bid.

By September 2004, the bid already had "considerable" support from five partners in the London business community: EDF Energy -March 2004-, BT Group and British Airways -May 2004-, Virgin Atlantic —August 2004— and Accenture —September 2004— 64 companies joined these "Main Partners", thus securing approximately a third of the bid's budget. That same month, the Olympic Park planning application was approved. On November 15, 2004, Amber Charles, a 14-year-old basketball player, handed over the London Bid File to the IOC. The following day all the details were presented to the public and the media. The File established: the sale of 9.6 million tickets in the Olympic-Paralympic period, the construction of an Olympic Village with 17,320 beds, the availability for 2012 of more than 135,000 rooms in a radius of 50 km from the Olympic Park and the creation of the Olympic Delivery Authority, among other things.

At that time, the bid concentrated on "generating visible signs of support" for London 2012 and above all obtaining the support of IOC members. From February 16 to 19, 2005, the IOC Evaluation Commission visited London. During those three days, the members of the Commission —headed by Nawal El Moutawakel— attended presentations on the issues identified in the File, visited the proposed venues and met with Prime Minister Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth II.

At the time of the Commission's visit, the announcement of the Host City at the 117th Session of the International Olympic Committee —Singapore, July 6, 2005— was less than five months away. During those five months, Coe visited various countries and gave presentations to the National Olympic Committees of Oceania in Brisbane, SportAccord in Berlin, and the Association of African National Olympic Committees in Ghana. The "Back the Bid" campaign encouraged people to register their support, in total it managed to collect three million signatures.

On June 6, 2005, the Evaluation Commission Report was released. Paris and London were considered the strongest bids, with both projects receiving good "complimentary undertones". London was praised for addressing concerns indicated by the IOC in March, particularly in terms of transport, described as "obsolete". However, concerns were raised about the ability to deliver major construction projects on time. In addition, a public opinion poll organized by the IOC was released, the results of which revealed that 68% of Londoners and 70% of Londoners British were in favor of holding the Olympic Games in London. In response to the report, Livingstone stated: "The London Games would transform East London and boost our economy and national pride. What is clear is that London can and could deliver a Games that would make the Olympic Movement proud."

Choice

117th Session of the International Olympic Committee 6 July 2005, Singapore
City	Voting
London, United Kingdom	22	27	39	54
Paris, France	21	25	33	50
Madrid, Spain	20	32	31	-
New York, United States	19	16	-	-
Moscow, Russia	15	-	-	-

Ten days before the host election, the British contingent arrived in Singapore. The London team consisted of around 100 people—plus 130, including corporate supporters. By July 3, the entire official delegation had arrived in the Asian country. Surprisingly, 30 children were included, seeking to strengthen the London 2012 proposal to "inspire" the youth. The team was accompanied by British members of the IOC, as well as various personalities, such as Tony Blair and David Beckham.

On July 6, 2005, members of the International Olympic Committee met at the Raffles City convention center in Singapore to choose the venue for the 2012 Olympic Games. Throughout that day, five candidate cities were called to make their final presentations—45 minutes plus 15 questions—at approximately 2:30 p.m. m., London made his presentation.

Anne from the United Kingdom, Craig Reedie, Denise Lewis, Ken Livingstone, Tessa Jowell and Sebastian Coe participated in it. At approximately 11:24 BST, the first round of voting began. announced that Moscow had been eliminated, New York was second and finally Madrid was third. At 12:49, Jacques Rogge announced the final results.

Following the announcement of the London election, the British contingent erupted in jubilation and joy. In London, thousands of people gathered in Trafalgar Square, celebrated the election. In contrast, Paris remained silent. Jacques Chirac, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Michael Bloomberg and Yuri Luzhkov congratulated London on its victory. Shortly after the winner was announced, representatives of the IOC, the host city and the National Olympic Committee signed the Host City Contract.

For this election, all eligible IOC members were called to vote. In each round these members voted for only one city and as part of the regulations the national members of the candidate cities were prevented from voting—after the elimination of their city they were able to vote. Out of a total of 116 members, in the first round 17 were not allowed to vote.

Attacks of July 7, 2005

However, the joy in London was short-lived. Just one day after the election, four explosions paralyzed the London public transport system and caused the death of 52 people and around 700 injured. In total there were four coordinated attacks, three in the Underground and one in a bus located in Tavistock Square. These attacks caused a collapse in transportation and communications infrastructure.

Sports Minister Richard Caborn said: "We can show, by bringing people together through sport, that terrorists can't win," and said the British capital would host Olympic Games. oo. IOC spokesperson Giselle Davies stated that London bid officials stated that there was no link between the bombings and the city's victory, "[The IOC] has full confidence in London and that they will carry out, within seven years, a safe Games".

The IOC is shocked by the brutal attack [...] Unfortunately it has been shown that there is no safe place, we must remember that security must remain the priority where Olympics are organized.

Jacques Rogge

Symbols

Olympic Torch and Run

The tour of the torch of the 2012 London Olympic Games began on May 10 in Greece and concluded on July 27 at the opening ceremony that took place at the Olympic Stadium in London.¹

In the UK the trajectory began in Land's End, Cornwall, England and continued over 70 days covering 8,000 miles (12,870 km), carried by 8,000 carriers. Unlike previous editions, there was no international tour, although it included a stage in the city of Dublin, Republic of Ireland.²

The Olympic torch was unveiled to the public on June 8, 2011. Its design resembles a golden mesh, and contains eight thousand holes that represent the number of bearers and the distance in miles traveled until the day of the inauguration (12,800 km). Its triangular shape has several meanings: the Olympic values of "respect, excellence and friendship"; the Olympic motto “faster, higher, stronger”; the number of times the city has hosted the Olympic Games; and the London 2012 work areas: "sport, education and culture". Its creators were Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby.

The material of the torch was aluminum alloy and, according to one of its creators, it was intended to be a functional and simple object, similar to the baton used in relay races. Its height was 80 cm and it resembled a mesh, which contained eight thousand holes that represented the number of carriers on the entire route. Its function was to dissipate the heat of the flame so that it was not transferred to the handle of the flame, in addition to facilitating the grip.

Unlike previous editions, the torch did not have an international trajectory and was transferred directly from Greece to the United Kingdom. In Greece, the Olympic fire lighting ceremony was held on May 10 and arrived at the Panathenaic Stadium on the seventeenth. On May 18, he arrived in the United Kingdom where footballer David Beckham lit the torch from a cauldron, and the May 19 began the seventy-day tour from Land's End, Cornwall, England, until the opening ceremony which took place on July 27. The first bearer on British soil was the sailor Ben Ainslie.

The tour was, broadly speaking, as follows:

• GreeceGreece: Olympics - Iraqlion - Thessaloniki - Athens
• United KingdomUnited Kingdom: Land's End - Cardiff - Liverpool - DouglasIsle of Man) - Londonderry
• Ireland: Dublin
• United KingdomUnited Kingdom: Belfast - Glasgow - Inverness - Edinburgh - Newcastle - Manchester - Oxford - Southampton - Jersey - Guernsey - Portsmouth - Dover - London

Emblem and graphic design

The logo was revealed on June 4, 2007 by the President of the Olympic Committee and the ambassadors of the games. It depicts the number “2012” and includes the Olympic rings and the word “London”. Its modern design—exhibited in the colors pink, blue, green, and orange—signifies dynamism, and the passage of time from its presentation to the day of its inauguration. It also symbolizes "the Olympic spirit and the willingness of the games to attract public participation". For the first time, the logo was shared with the Paralympic Games. Its creator was the brand consultancy Wolff Ollins.

Wenlock and Mandeville.

The official mascots of the Olympic and Paralympic Games are Wenlock and Mandeville. They were created by the Iris company and presented on May 19, 2010. According to the story, both were born from the drops of steel that fell from the construction of the last support beam of the London Olympic Stadium.

The names of the mascots refer to two British locations of significance for Olympics. The name of Wenlock is based on the town of Much Wenlock, located in the county of Shropshire, where the Wenlock Olympic Games took place, organized by William Penny Brookes and one of the inspirations of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement. The name of Mandeville, meanwhile, refers to Stoke Mandeville, in the county of Buckinghamshire. In that place, in the year 1948 —the same day that the London Olympic Games were inaugurated— Dr. Ludwig Guttmann organized a competition for veterans of the Second World War who suffered from spinal cord injuries, which laid the foundations for the Paralympic Games.

Sports

In the London Olympic Games, 302 competitions were held in 26 official sports on the Olympic program. Compared to Beijing 2008, London 2012 featured two fewer sports: baseball and softball, which were eliminated from the Olympic program during the Olympic Games. 117th Session of the International Olympic Committee.

However, there were some novelties: for the first time boxing was held in the women's branch; In addition, in track cycling the number of competitions for each gender was five, unlike Beijing, where there were five for men and three for women; and in tennis the mixed doubles competition was added.

Organization

Coordination

An Omega countdown clock shows 497 remaining days for the start of the London Olympic Games installed in Trafalgar Square

In February 2005, the London 2012 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games - LOCOG - was established through a joint venture agreement between the Mayor of London, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the President of the British Olympic Association. The agreement granted commercial freedom and allowed LOCOG to operate as a "private and semi-autonomous organisation".

In October 2005, following the choice of London as the venue, the Organizing Committee was formally established following the first meeting of the body. The Committee was headed by Sebastian Coe, a British athlete who has won four Olympic medals The 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Games Law led to the creation of the Olympic Delivery Authority —the body in charge of Olympic infrastructure—, the creation of the Olympic Transport Plan and the regulation of advertising and street commerce in the area close to the Games.

To LOCOG and ODA was added the Government Olympic Executive, —a unit of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in charge of supervising the project— the London Development Agency —responsible for delivering and maximizing sustainable benefits to long-term—and the Olympic Park Legacy Company—whose job was the long-term planning, development, management and maintenance of the Olympic Park and its facilities after the Games.

Participants

Size of equipment

300+

100+

30+

10+

5+

1+

Countries

204 national federations affiliated to the International Olympic Committee participated. It was the same number of representations with respect to the Olympic Games in Beijing, although in 2011 the Olympic Committee of the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved, and its place was taken by Brunei, which had been excluded from participating in the previous games. However, athletes from the Netherlands Antilles, as well as one athlete from South Sudan (a country that does not have a National Olympic Committee), competed as Independent Olympic Participants.

Athletes

The number of athletes in the Games amounted to 10,523, of which 5,864 were men, and 4,659 were women. Precisely, all the attending delegations were expected to include athletes in the female branch for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, but the goal was not achieved as Barbados, Nauru and Saint Kitts and Nevis were represented exclusively by men. However, the Olympic committees of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei, which by tradition had never included them, decided their registration. Another milestone was the participation of South African Oscar Pistorius who became the first athlete with a double amputation to participate in the Games.

Doping cases

Nine cases of doping were detected during the Games, seven of them discovered before the respective competition began. Four corresponded to the sport of athletics and the other cases belonged to weightlifting, artistic gymnastics, cycling, and judo. Two medal withdrawals were recorded: one gold in track and field and one bronze in wrestling.

In addition, the Spanish Lidia Valentín was fourth in the category of less than 75 kg, but in July 2016, the International Weightlifting Federation published that the three rivals who occupied the podium tested positive. The woman from Leon is waiting to receive the gold.

Development

Opening Ceremony

The event took place on July 27, 2012 at London's Olympic Stadium, built especially for the games. The artistic director of the ceremony was Danny Boyle, a British film producer and director, who was looking to get the show a place in the list of the best opening games of the Olympic Games. One of the most significant moments of the ceremony was the participation of seven young promises of British sport who together lit the Olympic cauldron, which consists of 204 pieces that represent the participating nations.

Calendar

Multi-medalists

Athletes who won 3 or more gold medals in these games are mentioned:

• Michael Phelps (United States - Swimming), 4 gold and 2 silver medals, making him the greatest Olympic medalist of all time (with 22 medals, 18 of them gold).
• Usain Bolt (Jamaica - Athletics), 3 gold medals in: 100 m, 200 m and 4 × 100 relays, repeating the 2008 Beijing feat.
• Missy Franklin (United States - Swimming), 4 gold medals and one bronze.
• Allison Schmitt (United States - Swimming), 3 gold medals, one silver and one bronze.
• Allyson Felix (United States - Athletics), 3 gold medals.
• Dana Vollmer (United States - Swimming), 3 gold medals.

Controversies

• As part of the preparation for the games, the flags of the participating countries were hung on the streets of the West End of London by the Regent Street Association (RSA). Among the hanging flags was that of Taiwan. However, despite the fact that the act was not organized by IOC, the Chinese government complained with the British Foreign Ministry and it ordered the RSA to remove the flag from Taiwan and replace it with that of Taipei China.

• In the inaugural feminine football game (25 July, Glasgow), the South Korean flag was shown by mistake rather than the North Korean flag. In protest, the North Korean team left the court. After a rectification, the North Koreans entered the playing field and the match began with 1 hour delay. In the light of the incident, the organizing committee apologized to the North Korean delegation.

• The widows of the 11 members of the Israeli delegation killed in the Munich massacre (1972) asked the IOC to organize a minute of silence at the opening ceremony to honor the victims of that massacre. IOC rejected the proposal not to irritate Muslim countries.

• After a review of 2 of the games of the Bádminton female tournament (double) on July 31, it was discovered that the players on both sides in each game, i.e. 4 teams, tried to lose so they had a favorable fixture on the next round. The games were: Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang (China) vs. Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na (South Korea) by group A and Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung (South Korea) vs. Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii (Indonesia) by group C. As a result, the players were disqualified. This by the format of groups used, allowing this type of result manipulation situations.

Closing Ceremony

The closing ceremony of London 2012.

The closing ceremony was held on August 12, with a show featuring the most representative musicians of contemporary British music (Spice Girls, Madness, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Kaiser Chiefs, The Who, among others), and Muse performed Survival, the official song of the contest. The award ceremony for the men's marathon was also held, and the transfer of the Olympic flag from the mayor of the city of London to the president of the IOC Jacques Rogge, who in turn ceded it to the mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes, the city that would host the 2016 Olympic Games.

Climate analysis

Temperature

Despite having London, in general, with a temperate climate, it is not free of anomalies. The last occurred during a heat wave in 2003, when peaks of up to 36 °C were reached. Initially, during the months of July and August, mild temperatures were forecast - around 20 °C - which would not affect the Olympic events.

Precipitation

Rainfall in London is distributed almost identically throughout the year. Therefore, it was likely that rain would appear at these Olympic Games in about one out of three events.

Wind

Although the wind is highly variable and can change suddenly without following a regular trend, gusts of light to moderate winds were expected, corresponding to the gentle swaying of a flag.

Medal table

Map of the world showing achievements during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Legend:
Gold for the countries that got at least a gold medal. Silver for countries that didn't get any gold medals, but yes, at least one silver medal. Bronze for countries that did not get any gold or silver medals, but yes, at least one bronze medal. Blue for countries that did not get any medals. Red for entities that did not participate.

Organizing country (United Kingdom)

No.	Country				Total
1	United States(USA)	46	28	29	103
2	China(CHN)	38	31	22	91
3	United Kingdom(GBR)	29	17	19	65
4	Russia(RUS)	24	26	32	82
5	South Korea(KOR)	13	8	7	28
6	Germany(GER)	11	19	14	44
7	France(FRA)	11	11	12	34
8	Italy(ITA)	8	9	11	28
9	Hungary(HUN)	8	4	6	18
10	Australia(AUS)	7	16	12	35

Medals

The medals were presented one year before the Games opening ceremony by Princess Anne of the United Kingdom and Sebastian Coe in Trafalgar Square. The medals have a circular shape and on the obverse the goddess Nike appears to emerge from the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. On the back there is a complex design whose background resembles the shape of an amphitheater and the logo of the games is shown in the center; it also contains a grid that evokes the «energy radiated by athletes», the River Thames and the figure of a painting that draws attention to the center. Its designer is the artist David Watkins.

The diameter of each medal is 85mm with a thickness of 7mm. On the edge were engraved the names of the winning athletes along with the respective sport and discipline. They are the heaviest in the history of the Games since they vary between 375 g and 400 g; although the material of the gold medals barely covers 1.3% of said metal, while 92.5% is silver. Some 2,100 badges were awarded during the games.