Beijing hosted the Games of the XXIX Olympiad from 8 to 24 August 2008, China's first Summer Olympics and a Games conceived on a vast scale, from the Bird's Nest stadium to an opening ceremony watched worldwide. About 10,900 athletes from 204 delegations competed across 28 sports and 302 events.

The competition produced some of the most enduring performances in Olympic history: sprinter Usain Bolt set world records in the 100 and 200 metres, and swimmer Michael Phelps won eight gold medals in a single Games. Beijing 2008 confirmed the growing reach of the Olympics across Asia and set new benchmarks for host-city ambition. Qatar fielded a delegation of 22 athletes across a range of disciplines, including athletics and shooting, with veteran skeet shooter Nasser Al-Attiyah among the competitors.

The team did not reach the podium in Beijing, but the Games formed part of a steady build-up of Olympic experience for Qatari athletes and federations in the years before the country's breakthrough medal runs in London and beyond. Qatar had by this point competed at every Summer Olympics since 1984 without interruption, steadily widening the range of sports in which it took part.