Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

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 ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's twelfth appearance at the Olympics since its debut in 1948. The Syrian Olympic Committee sent the nation's largest delegation to the Games, after the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

in Seoul. A total of ten athletes, six men and four women, competed in 6 sports. Four of them received their spots in track and field, and in swimming by wild card entries. Three Syrian athletes had competed in Beijing, including high jumper Majed Aldin Ghazal, who was the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Among the sports played by the athletes, Syria marked its Olympic debut in equestrian show jumping. Because of an ongoing 2011-2012 uprising in Syria (now turned into a civil war), there were concerns about Syria's participation to the Olympic games. General Mowaffak Joumaa, president of Syrian National Olympic Committee, told ITV News: "There is no question about it—we are taking part". In April 2012, Abdelbasset Saroot, the former Syrian football goalkeeper, said in an interview with

ITV News ITV News is the branding of news programmes on the British television network ITV. ITV has a long tradition of television news. Independent Television News (ITN) was founded to provide news bulletins for the network in 1955, and has since con ...

that his nation's athletes did not want to compete in these games because "they don't want to play for a flag that they have no pride or faith in". According to the British prime minister

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

, Syrian athletes must take part in the Olympics, but any of the nation's officials covered by a

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

travel ban A travel ban is one of a variety of mobility restrictions imposed by governments. Bans can be universal or selective. The restrictions can be geographic, imposed by either the originating or destination jurisdiction. They can also be based on indiv ...

were not welcome. This was the case for the Syrian Olympic Committee's head General Mowaffak Joumaa, who was denied a visa to travel to the games in an official capacity by the British government. The Syrian team in London refused to comment on the political situation in their homeland; their supporters, however, carried Ba'athist flags and voiced their support for the Syrian government. Syria did not win any medals at the 2012 Olympics. Their last Olympic medal came in the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

in Athens, where

Naser Al Shami Nasser Al Shami ( ar, ناصر الشامي; born June 27, 1982) is a Syrian boxer, who competed in the heavyweight division (– 91 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal. Nasser Al-Shami was allegedly injured on 4 July 2011 ...

won the bronze for heavyweight boxing.

Athletics

;Men ;Women * Almouhamad was disqualified on 7 August after failing a drug test for the banned substance

methylhexanamine Methylhexanamine (also known as methylhexamine, 1,3-dimethylamylamine, 1,3-DMAA, dimethylamylamine, and DMAA; trade names Forthane and Geranamine) is an indirect sympathomimetic drug invented and developed by Eli Lilly and Company and marketed a ...

Boxing

Syria earned 1 quota in boxing. ;Men

Cycling

Road

Equestrian

Syria made its Olympic debut in equestrian events.

Jumping

Shooting

;Women

Swimming

Syria received two "Universality places" from the

FINA FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

. ;Men ;Women

Weightlifting

Syria qualified the following quota places.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Syria At The 2012 Summer Olympics Nations at the 2012 Summer Olympics

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 ...

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...