The competition was held between July 29 and 31, 1984 at the shooting ranges in Los Angeles.

The event was won by Luciano Giovannetti of Italy, the first person to successfully defend an Olympic title in the trap.

[2][3] Three of the top 10 shooters from the 1980 Games returned: gold medalist Luciano Giovannetti of Italy and the Spanish team, fifth-place finisher Eladio Vallduvi and tenth-place finisher Ricardo Sancho.

Reigning (1983) World Champion John Primrose of Canada also competed in Los Angeles, while 1981 winner Aleksandr Asanov of the Soviet Union could not enter due to the Soviet-led boycott.

[4] Bahrain, Cyprus, Hong Kong, and Paraguay each made their debut in the event.

Great Britain made its 13th appearance, most among nations, having missed only the 1980 Moscow Olympics.