Los Angeles hosted the Games of the XXIII Olympiad from 28 July to 12 August 1984, an edition that reshaped the economics of the Olympic movement. Staged largely with existing venues, private funding and corporate sponsorship, the Games turned a substantial profit and became the model for future host cities.

A Soviet-led boycott by 14 Eastern Bloc nations thinned the field in some sports, yet a then-record 140 National Olympic Committees took part. The edition featured the first women's Olympic marathon, the return of China to the Summer Games, and four gold medals for American sprinter and long jumper Carl Lewis. Los Angeles 1984 also marked Qatar's Olympic debut.

The country sent a delegation of 24 athletes, comprising eight track and field athletes, a football team and four shooters, with Waheed Khamis Al-Salem carrying the flag at the opening ceremony. Qatar did not win a medal on its first appearance, but the Games began an unbroken run of Summer Olympic participation that continues to the present day. The 1984 debut laid the groundwork for the growth of Olympic sport in Qatar over the following decades, from its first medal in 1992 to its golden run at Tokyo 2020.