The
Chinese Olympic Committee selected a team of 396 athletes, 171 men and 225 women, to compete in 23 sports.
Equestrian,
football, and
handball were the only sports in which China had no representation in 2012. The Chinese team featured 29 defending champions from the Beijing games, including springboard diver
Wu Minxia, light flyweight boxer
Zou Shiming, gymnasts
Zou Kai and
Chen Yibing, and badminton player
Lin Dan. Pistol shooter and former Olympic medalist
Tan Zongliang, the oldest male member of the contingent, aged 41, competed at
his fifth Olympic Games. Meanwhile, fencer
Li Na and basketball player
Wang Zhizhi each made their
fourth Olympic appearance. Trap shooter
Liu Yingzi was the oldest athlete of the team, aged 41, while relay swimmer
Qiu Yuhan was the youngest, aged 14. Basketballer
Yi Jianlian, who had previously played for the
NBA's
Dallas Mavericks, was the nation's flag bearer at the
opening ceremony. The following table lists the number of Chinese competitors who participated in each Olympic sport. Note that
swimming,
synchronized swimming,
diving, and
water polo are technically considered as one sport,
aquatics. However, due to their significant practical differences, they are listed separately by tradition. ==Archery==