2021 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games

The latest version of the Asian Games charter, approved in 2019, says that the minimum number of sports in each edition of the Indoor Games will be 8,divided as follows: 6 indoor sports and 2 martial arts.For this to happen, it will be a responsibility of Organizing Committee previously choose which of the 27 sports that are included within the status of indoor sports or martial arts.To be a sport in contested conditions in this event, it cannot be part of the program of the latest editions of the Asian Games and the Olympic Games or be in another format that is not in the program of both events.If there are demands from the local organization or the host country, other sports that are not on this list may be included (they can be Olympic and Asian Games sports).[9] Following the signing contract after successful negotiations with Thailand, the Olympic Council of Asia initially announced that the Games would feature 26 disciplines in 24 sports, including the 17 indoor sports and 7 martial sports established in the Games charter.[10][11] On 21 May 2020, OCA and the organizing committee announced the final number of sports on this edition's program with finals being held in 28 sports, 7 more than those played in the previous edition in 2017. The organization of this edition has chosen to remove 3 sports held in 2017 edition from the program due to cultural issues in the country (belt wrestling, equestrian and indoor tennis) and replaced them by local favorites: badminton, volleyball and sepak takraw (the last one is making a comeback to the event after it was dropped in recent editions) Thais also chose six other new sports for the program (cheerleading, floorball, indoor rowing, netball, roller sports and netball). Besides sepak takraw, three other sports are making a comeback to the games, after some years of absence: pencak silat, sport climbing and indoor hockey. Another interesting case is the return to full medal status for eSports, which were demoted to demonstration sport in 2017. There are also those sports that remained in the program. However, they suffered changes in their races as is the case of cycling in which there is the exchange of track events for BMX.[12]

A total of 28 sports are expected to be held in Thailand: seven Olympic sports (badminton, 3-on-3 basketball, cycling, karate, sport climbing, taekwondo and volleyball), six Olympic sports are scheduled to be only in non-Olympic formats (athletics, hockey, football, rowing and swimming) and fifteen non-Olympic sports (bowling, cheerlearding, chess, cue sports, e-sports, dancesport, floorball, ju-jitsu, kickboxing, kurash, muaythai, netball, pencak silat, sambo, and traditional wrestling)

Demonstration sports

• Indoor drone racing
• Teqball

Due to 2017 AIMAG success, the Olympic Council of Asia has decided that not only 45 NOCs from OCA, but also 17 NOCs from ONOC may take part, a total of 62 countries. Like 2017 AIMAG, Oceania NOCs will be under full participation, so they will be eligible for medals.

The numbers in parenthesis represents the number of participants entered.