 | This section tabulates the heads of qualification in a form suitable to be filled in as events progress. The full qualification rules [1] for triathlon published by ITU contain intricate conditions too lengthy for inclusion in Wikipedia. |  |
After a few places allocated to championships, the bulk of places are awarded on the basis of world rankings as at 31 May 2012. After 8 NOCs have qualified 3 athletes for an event, other NOCs are limited to 2 athletes for that event.
| Event | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| World Qualification Event | August 6–7, 2011 |  London |
| 2011 ASTC Asian Triathlon Championships | September 24–25, 2011 |  Mehua Lake Yilan County |
| 2011 Pan American Games | October 23, 2011 |  Puerto Vallarta |
| 2012 ETU European Triathlon Championships | April 17–22, 2012 |  Eilat |
| 2012 OTU Oceania Triathlon Championships | March 10, 2012 |  Devonport [2] |
| African Continental Qualification Event | March 31, 2012 |  Le Morne |
| Cutoff for World Rankings | May 31, 2012 |
| NOC | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | 1 | 1 | |
 Australia | 3 | 3 | 6 |
 Austria | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Belgium | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Bermuda | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Brazil | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 Canada | 3 | 2 | 5 |
 Chile | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 China | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Colombia | 1 | 1 | |
 Costa Rica | 1 | 1 | |
 Czech Republic | 2 | 2 | 4 |
 Denmark | 2 | 2 | |
 Ecuador | 1 | 1 | |
 France | 3 | 3 | 6 |
 Germany | 3 | 3 | 6 |
 Great Britain | 3 | 3 | 6 |
 Hungary | 1 | 1 | |
 Ireland | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Italy | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 Japan | 2 | 3 | 5 |
 Mauritius | 1 | 1 | |
 Mexico | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Monaco | 1 | 1 | |
 Netherlands | 2 | 2 | |
 New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 6 |
 Poland | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 Portugal | 2 | 2 | |
 Russia | 3 | 2 | 5 |
 Slovakia | 1 | 1 | |
 Slovenia | 1 | 1 | |
 South Africa | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 South Korea | 1 | 1 | |
 Spain | 3 | 3 | 6 |
 Sweden | 1 | 1 | |
 Switzerland | 2 | 2 | 4 |
 Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 United States | 2 | 3 | 5 |
 Zimbabwe | 1 | 1 | |
| Total: 39 NOCs | 55 | 55 | 110 |
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