The Norwegian team featured past Olympic champions, three of them defending (javelin thrower Andreas Thorkildsen, single sculls rower Olaf Tufte, who competed at his fifth Olympics, and the women's national handball team, led by Gøril Snorroeggen).

Other notable Norwegian athletes featured Gambian-born sprinter Jaysuma Saidy Ndure, who finished fourth in the world championships, breaststroke swimmer Sara Nordenstam, who previously won bronze in Beijing, and sprint kayaker Mira Verås Larsen, who was the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony.

Norway left London with a total of 4 medals (2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze), the lowest haul since Los Angeles.

The women's national handball team managed to defend its Olympic title from Beijing, after beating Montenegro in the final.

Several Norwegian athletes, however, narrowly missed out of the medal standings, including defending champions Thorklidsen and Tufte, and middle-distance runner Henrik Ingebrigtsen.