Iraq at the 2012 Summer Olympics Iraq at the 2012 Summer Olympics The Middle Eastern nation of Iraq competed at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's thirteenth appearance at the Olympics since its debut at the 1948 Summer Olympics in the same host city. Before the Olympic Games started, FIFA banned Iraq from hosting qualifiers in the World Cup and even in the Olympics for security concerns, and for having a player with two cards participated in a match against United Arab Emirates. Iraq also competed for the first time in Olympics without receiving
Summer Olympic Games when Tokyo again becomes host city. Historically, the Summer Olympics has been held predominantly in English-speaking countries and European nations. Tokyo will be the first city outside these regions to have hosted the Summer Olympics twice; it will also be the largest city ever to have hosted the Games, having grown considerably since 1964. The 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were the first Summer Olympics to be held in South America and the first that were held during the local winter season. The only two countries in the Southern Hemisphere to have hosted the Summer Olympics have been