London became the first city to host the Summer Olympics three times when it staged the Games of the XXX Olympiad from 27 July to 12 August 2012, having previously hosted in 1908 and 1948. Around 10,500 athletes from 204 delegations competed across 26 sports, and the edition was historic as the first at which every participating delegation included at least one female athlete, with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Brunei sending women for the first time.

Women's boxing also entered the programme, completing female participation across every Olympic sport. London 2012 was a landmark for Qatar in more ways than one. Its 12-strong delegation competed in athletics, shooting, swimming and table tennis and, for the first time, included four Qatari women: swimmer Nada Arkaji, shooter Bahiya Al-Hamad, sprinter Noor Al-Malki and table tennis player Aya Majdi.

Al-Hamad carried the national flag at the opening ceremony. On the field of play, Nasser Al-Attiyah won bronze in the men's skeet after a shoot-off, and high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim finished third in a three-way tie for bronze, a medal later upgraded to silver in 2021 after the original champion was disqualified for doping. It was Qatar's most successful Games since Sydney 2000.