Serbia competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The country returned under the name Serbia after 96 years, previously competing under the names Yugoslavia (1920–1988), Independent Olympic Participants (1992), Yugoslavia (1996–2002) and Serbia and Montenegro (2004–2006).
The flag on the opening ceremony was held by shooter Jasna Šekarić, who has won five medals in her five previous Olympic appearances.
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, were a summer multi-sport event held in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, from 8 to 24 August 2008. Approximately 10,942 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 302 events in 28 sports across 41 disciplines. Cycling BMX racing and 10 km (6.2 mi) marathon swimming were included as official medal events for the first time in history. The Marshall Islands, Montenegro and Tuvalu made their Summer Olympic debuts in Beijing.
Overall, athletes from a record 87 countries won at least one medal, and 55 of them won at least one gold medal. Afghanistan, Mauritius, Sudan, Tajikistan and Togo won their first Olympic medals of any kind. Athletes from Mongolia (which previously held the record for most medals without a gold) and Panama won their first Olympic gold medals. Serbian swimmer Milorad Čavić won the first medal for the country as an independent state. Samoa won its first Olympic medal due to a reallocation of medals after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) retested doping samples in 2016.