They were the third to be held in the British capital, with a total of 10,568 athletes (5,892 men and 4,676 women) from 204 countries taking part. On July 6, 2005, during the 117th Session of the International Olympic Committee held in Singapore, London beat Paris, Madrid, New York, and Moscow in four rounds of voting. The London Games were planned to create sustainable venues and infrastructure. In addition, the aim was to improve and expand urban infrastructure and make effective use of Olympic facilities, and above all to transform and regenerate the eastern part of the city through the creation of the London Olympic Park. In addition to using the Games as a catalyst for social inclusion and environmental awareness, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Brunei included female athletes in their teams for the first time, making London 2012 the first Olympic Games to feature women in every delegation. Michael Phelps became the most decorated athlete with six medals (four gold and two silver), as did the United States with a total of 104.
