How many countries are taking part in the London Olympics 2012?

Answer 1

204 nations or National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are participating in the 2012 London Olympics.

They may be considered as countries or nations only after you understand that they are actually National Olympic Committees (NOCs). Because countries are not actually competing and it is correctly called Participating National Olympic Committees or NOCs. The Host Nation Great Britain for example, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), includes countries of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and British Overseas Territories. We must count Great Britain NOC as one county because the athletes are only eligible to compete as part of Great Britain. An Athlete from Wales or Scotland does not win Medals for Wales or Scotland only for Great Britain NOC and might not even have had a chance to win a medal without the benefits being part of the host nation's expanded athlete eligibility. People still claim that Scotland or Wales won Medals as opposed to UK or Great Britain.

What flag an athlete belongs to can be a hotly debated topic and the Olympic Committee tries to accommodate both the athlete and their country. Some countries or territories listed in the Olympics may be controversial. Hong Kong for example is competing under its own flags rather than China. In past Olympics, it gets rather complicated when a country was occupied by another and athletes are "required" to complete under the flag of Another Country.

This year the IOC has authorized a few athletes to compete as individuals at the London 2012 Olympic Games. These athletes have no official affiliation to a National Olympic Committee of one particular country or nation and will compete under the "country" title Independent Olympic Athletes (IOA).

Answer 2

205