Four

independent Olympic Athletes Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independen ...

competed at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

in London, the United Kingdom. These were athletes from the former

Netherlands Antilles nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom" , national_anthem = , common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento , demonym = Netherlands Antillean , capital = Willemstad , year_start = 1954 , year_end = 2010 , date_start = 15 December , ...

, and from the newly formed state of

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of th ...

. This was the third time that athletes had competed as independent participants in the Olympics. None of the athletes won an Olympic medal.

Background

Netherlands Antilles

The

Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee The Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee, ( nl, Nederlands Antilliaans Olympisch Comité; pap, Comité Olímpico di Antia Hulandes) generally abbreviated NAOC was a member of the IOC from 1950 to 2011. It constituted the National Olympic Commi ...

, which had planned to continue functioning after the

dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010. After dissolution, the "BES islands" of the Dutch Caribbean— Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba—bec ...

in October 2010, had its membership withdrawn by the IOC Executive Committee at the IOC session of July 2011. However, athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles who qualified for the 2012 Olympics were allowed to participate independently under the Olympic flag, in addition to the possibility of competing for the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

(as for example

Churandy Martina Churandy Thomas Martina (born 3 July 1984) is a Dutch sprinter from Curaçao, currently representing the Netherlands. Previously, he represented the Netherlands Antilles until its dissolution in 2010. His personal best time over 100 metre ...

did) or

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of P ...

(because they have Dutch nationality). Ultimately, three athletes from the Netherlands Antilles participated as independent Olympic athletes.

South Sudan

gained its

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...

from

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

in July 2011. As of the 2012 Summer Olympics, it had not formed a

National Olympic Committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...

. Athletes from this nation were therefore unable to enter with a National Olympic Committee (NOC).

Guor Marial Guor Mading Maker (born 15 April 1984), also known as Guor Marial, is a South Sudanese Olympic track and field athlete. He is a Dinka tribesman. Maker competed in the men's marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Due to civil war that saw South ...

qualified for the men's marathon and competed as an independent Olympian.

Opening ceremony

Brooklyn Kerlin was the flag bearer of the athletes during the opening ceremony. She was chosen by her peers to represent the "makers of the Olympics". Hannah Bailes, a London 2012 Ceremonies Cast Member, who was also a volunteer, was selected to carry the Independent Olympic Athletes placard.

Sports

Athletics

;Men

Judo

Sailing

;Women M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race;

References

{{Nations at the 2012 Summer Olympics Nations at the 2012 Summer Olympics 2012, Independent Olym 2012 in Curaçao 2012, Independent

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

2012 in South Sudanese sport