This was the nation's twelfth appearance at the Olympics, having missed three occasions because of the African, Soviet, and North Korean boycott.

The Ethiopian team featured the defending Olympic champions, long-distance runners Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba.

Another middle-distance runner Meseret Defar became the second Ethiopian female athlete to regain her title in the women's 5,000 metres event, ahead of her compatriot and defending champion Dibaba, who won only the bronze medal.

Ethiopia left London with a total of 7 medals (3 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze), sharing the same records with Beijing and Athens, respectively.

[4] In the women's marathon, Tiki Gelana became the first Ethiopian to win the gold medal since 1996, despite falling behind the other runners during the midway of the race.