Chess will be included in the 2022 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. This was announced by Thailand Chess Association President Sahapol Nakvanich.
The 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games are scheduled to be a pan-Asian multi-sport event in indoor and martial arts sports scheduled 10 to 20 March 2022 in the Thai capital city, Bangkok and the province of Chonburi. Originally due to take place from 21 to 30 May 2021, the event was postponed in January 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) officially awarded the games to Bangkok and Chonburi Province and signed the hosting rights contact in April 2020.
“I had to fight to include chess,” Thailand Chess Association president Sahapol Nakvanich explained. “Normally, Organizing Committees want sports where the host is assured to win medals. But I told them we need chess because ASEAN chess is indigenous to Thailand,” he added.
Thailand Chess Association President Sahapol Nakvanich (left) and at the Asian Amateur Chess Championship in Thailand (right)
It will be the first Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, co-hosted by two cities/provinces; the Thai capital city of Bangkok which will host the games for the third time after the inaugural edition in 2005 and the martial arts edition in 2009 and the province of Chonburi, located 100 kilometres southwest of the capital. It will be a test event for the joint candidacy from Bangkok and Chonburi Province for hosting 2030 Summer Youth Olympic Games also. This edition was most notable for being the first edition to include badminton, BMX cycling, cheerleading, floorball, indoor rowing, netball, shooting and volleyball; as well as having the highest number of sports in the history of the games, at a total of 29.
The medal sports are: chess, indoor athletics, cue sports, bowling, dance sport, futsal, roller sports, sport climbing, short course swimming, muay thai, jujitsu, BMX cycling, hoop takraw/speak takraw, kurash, floorball, netball, taekwondo, indoor hockey, karate, esports, badminton, pencak silat, cheerleading, sambo, indoor rowing, volleyball, basketball 3×3, traditional wrestling and kickboxing.
Asian Chess Federation approved the Technical Handbook. The Chess competition will consist of six events
| MEN | WOMEN |
| Standard Individual | Standard Individual |
| Rapid Individual | Rapid Individual |
| ASEAN Standard Individual | |
| ASEAN Rapid Individual |
Invited are 45 countries whose National Olympic Committee is recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia and 18 countries whose National Olympic Committee is recognized by the Oceania National Olympic Committees.
Teqball and air sports have been included as demonstration events.
Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat staged the last AIMAG in 2017.
The first Asian Indoor Games was held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2005, the second in Macau, China in 2007 and the third in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2009. The first Asian Martial Arts Games was held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2009. The two events merged to form the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games for the 2013 event in Incheon, Korea.