Panama did not compete on four occasions, including the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, because of its partial support of the United States boycott.

Comité Olímpico de Panamá sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games since the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.

Freestyle swimmer, Pan American Games medalist, and three-time Olympian Eileen Coparropa reprised her role to carry the Panamanian flag in the opening ceremony for the third consecutive time since her debut, as a fifteen-year-old, in 1996.

Track star Bayano Kamani narrowly missed out on the medal podium after earning a highest result for the Panamanian team in the men's 400 m hurdles with an astonishing fifth-place finish.

[3][4] Panamanian swimmers earned qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the A-standard time, and 1 at the B-standard time): This article about sports in Panama is a stub.