Niger competed with six athletes in five sports at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's eleventh appearance at the Olympics, having competed at every Summer Olympics since 1964 with the exception of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow because of the African and the United States boycotts.

Nigerien Olympic and National Sports Committee (, COSNI) sent the nation's largest delegation to the Games since 1988. A total of 6 athletes, 4 men and 2 women, competing in 5 different sports.Olympics, Niger. Sports Reference / USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Consulted 31 July 2012 Hamadou Djibo Issaka, became the first Nigerien rower to compete at the Olympics, was the oldest member of the team, at age 35; Niger rower crawls home to roaring Olympic crowd . Steve Douglas, AP . Sunday, 29 July 2012 while freestyle swimmer Nafissatou Moussa Adamou was the youngest at age 14. Welterweight boxer Moustapha Hima, on the other hand, was appointed by COSNI to be the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony.Jeux Olympiques de Londres 2012 : qualifee pour les 2nd tour, le judoka Gourouza Zakari est elimine. Oumarou Moussa, Le Sahel (Niamey). 30 July 2012.Niger . Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, consulted 31 July 2012.

Niger, however, failed to win a single Olympic medal in London, since its last time at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

Press reaction On 28 July, the British press gave single sculls rower Hamadou Djibo Issaka a wave of attention, as he finished far behind his competitors. Having taken up rowing at an intensive training camp three months before, he was compared by the press with Eric "the Eel" Moussambani, a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney; thus, Issaka was featured in numerous headlines where the press called him, "Issaka the Otter", "Hamadou The Keel", and the "Sculling Sloth".Issaka The Otter: Novice from Niger is new Eddie The Eagle after super-slow sculls Steve Anglesey, The Mirror (London). 29 July 2012.'Sculling Sloth' back on water at London Olympics. AP 31 July 2012.

Nigerien newspaper Le Sahel congratulated Issaka, stating that "he managed to seduce lovers of rowing, and to honor the national colors."Jeux Olympiques de Londres 2012 : Hamadou Djibo Issaka Fait Preuve d'Abnegation et se Qualifie Pour la Finale en Sport d'Aviron. Oumarou Moussa, Le Sahel (Niamey). 1 August 2012. The paper also noted that despite its reputation as a desert nation, rowing could flourish in their country, where the Niger River runs for 550 km through the nation.

Following the performance of two athletes, boxer Moustapha Hima and judoka Zakari Gourouza, the Nigerien press declared them "encouraging results", noting that Hima acquitted himself well and expects to return to the 2016 Olympics, and Zakari Gourouza was the first Nigerien combat athlete to progress beyond his first round opponent since medal winning boxer Issaka Dabore in 1972.

Political delegation Kounou Hassane, Niger's minister of youth, sport, and culture, and Mahamadou Doula Talata, government director of sport, and COSNI chairman, attended the Olympic Games in London. Jeux Olympiques de Londres 2012 : Le Ministre Kounou Hassane Rend Visite aux Athletes Nigeriens au Village Olympique de Stratfort. Oumarou Moussa, Le Sahel (Niamey). 1 August 2012. On 31 July, while speaking at an Iftar dinner for Nigerien athletes at the London Olympic Village, the minister congratulated the three athletes who had already competed. "The results you obtained are after all, honorable. You have valiantly defended the colors of our country, and I commend you for your courage and boldness.", according to the minister who addressed his statement to the athletes.

Athletics

Track runners Rabiou Guero Gao,Rabiou Guero Gao Biography. IAAF. Retrieved 2015-11-06.Rabiou Guero Gao . Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, consulted 31 July 2012. and Nafissa SouleymaneSouleymane Nafissa Biography. IAAF. Retrieved 2015-11-06. were selected to the team by wild card entries.Nafissa Souleymane . Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, consulted 31 July 2012.

Men AthleteEventHeat SemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankRabiou Guero Gao1500 m4:05.4615Did not advance

Women AthleteEventHeat QuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankNafissa Souleymane100 m12.816Did not advance

Boxing

Moustapha Hima qualified for Niger in the men's welterweight division.Moustapha Abdoulaye Hima . Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, consulted 31 July 2012.

Men AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankMoustapha HimaWelterweightL 6–13Did not advance

Judo

Niger has qualified one judoka.

AthleteEventRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsRepechageFinal / OppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankZakari GourouzaMen's −60 kgW 0100–0000L 0000–0101Did not advance

Rowing

Niger has received one wild card in this sport. Hamadou Djibo Issaka, formerly a swimmer, became the first single sculls rower to represent his nation at the Olympics.Hamadou Djibo Issaka BBC Sport Olympics.

Men AthleteEventHeatsRepechageQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTime RankHamadou Djibo IssakaSingle sculls8:25.565 R8:39.664 SE/Fcolspan=2 9:07.994 FF8:53.8833 Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage

Swimming

Niger selected one swimmer by a wild card entry from FINA.

Women AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankNafissatou Moussa Adamou50 m freestyle37.2970Did not advance

References