The
New Zealand Olympic Committee selected a team of 184 athletes, 97 men and 87 women, to compete in sixteen sports. It was the nation's largest delegation sent to the Olympics, surpassing the 182 athletes at the
2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Field hockey and
football were the only team-based sports in which New Zealand had representatives at the Games. For the first time in Olympic history, New Zealand did not qualify teams in
basketball since its official debut in 2000. There was only a single competitor in judo, shooting, tennis, and weightlifting. The New Zealand team featured past Olympic medallists, including the defending champion
Valerie Adams in the women's shot put event. Equestrian eventing rider
Mark Todd, at age 56, the oldest member of the team, became the first New Zealand athlete to compete in eight Olympic games. Todd's compatriot
Andrew Nicholson was at his seventh appearance, having participated in the Olympics since 1984 (except the
2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he was not selected). Meanwhile, football player
Cameron Howieson, at age 17, was the youngest member of the team. Other notable New Zealand athletes featured rower and five-time world champion
Mahé Drysdale in men's singles sculls, triathlete and double Olympic medallist
Bevan Docherty, BMX rider
Sarah Walker, who missed out of the medal standings in Beijing, and sailors
Hamish Pepper and
Peter Burling. Middle-distance runner
Nick Willis, who won New Zealand's first Olympic track medal in
Beijing since
1976, was the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Originally, New Zealand officiated a total of 185 athletes to compete at the Olympics. On 20 July, middle-distance runner
Adrian Blincoe, however, withdrew from the games because of an ankle injury. The following is the list of number of competitors participating in the Games. Note that reserves in fencing, field hockey, football, and handball are not counted as athletes: ==Athletics==