There will be 21 sports Included in the Games

Chess

Chess is played on a board which consists of 64 spaces split into 32 ‘dark’ and 32 ‘light’ spaces. The two sets of pieces are also divided into the two colours. Each player has 16 pieces which are split into eight pawns, two knights, two bishops, two rooks (castles), one queen and one king. These pieces are laid out in the same way every game. Every official game always starts with the person controlling the white pieces moving first, and continues with alternative moves.

While variations of the game have been around for thousands of years, the game as we know it today has only been around since the 15th century. Originally, the game came from an Indian game known as Shatranj, an Indian game invented in the 3rd century.

Quick Facts

The longest game of chess that is theoretically possible is 5,949 moves

The first chessboard with alternating light and dark squares (as it appears today) was made in Europe in 1090

The word "Checkmate" in Chess comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat" which means "the King is dead"

Futsal

Futsal is the format of Small Sided Football that is recognised and supported by FIFA and UEFA with World and European Championships for club and National Teams. Futsal began in the South American countries of Uruguay and Brazil.

Futsal is normally played on a flat indoor pitch with hockey sized goals and a size four ball with a reduced bounce.  It is played to touchlines and all players are free to enter the penalty area and play the ball over head-height.  Games are 20 minutes per half, played to a stopping clock with time-outs permitted. The surface, ball and rules create an emphasis on improvisation, creativity and technique as well as ball control and passing in small spaces

Quick Facts

All the top clubs in the world (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, etc.) have their youth players playing futsal

All the world’s greatest players grew up playing futsal and recognize the game as a major reason for their foot skills and ability to think quickly under pressure. Pele, Maradona, Messi, Kaka, Xavi, Ronaldo, Robinho, Ronaldinho, and Fabregas are just some of the players that grew up playing futsal

The first Futsal World Championship was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1982, with Brazil finishing in first place

Tennis

Players alternate hitting a ball with their rackets over the net. There are singles (one against one) and doubles (two against two) events for both men and women, and mixed doubles (each team consisting of one male and one female players).

In tennis, points are uniquely referred to as "love," "fifteen" and so on. Watching at a court, spectators will be able to gain a direct sense of the emotions of the players. The tactical abilities of the players and the tense atmosphere during rallies are overwhelming.

Quick Facts

Rectangular courts were created in 1875 for Wimbledon. Originally, the court was an hour-glass shape

The Wimbledon Championships, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and considered to be the most prestigious

Muay

Muay is a combat sport of Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This physical and mental discipline which includes combat on shins is known as "the art of eight limbs" because it is characterized by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees, shins, being associated with a good physical preparation that makes a full-contact fighter very efficient. The eight strikes used in competition meant to simulate the weapons of war – the punches, swords, elbows, hammers, kicks, spears, and the knees, sharp daggers. Likewise, the blocks using forearms and shins were meant to act as armour.

Muay boxers wear headband and armbands, known as Mongkol and Pra Jiad  before the match begins. Mongkol literally translates to holy spirit, luck, and protection and is worn as a tribute to the country that the Muay fighter representing.

Quick Facts

One of the unique features in Thai boxing is the music, which is known as the “Sarama”.  It is played before and during the combat session

While Muay fighters now wear padded gloves similar to small boxing gloves, in the past, they only wore hemp ropes and threads or cotton wrapped around the hands and forearms as protection

Sambo

Sambo is an acronym for “Samooborona Bez Oruzhia" which means “Self Defense Without Weapons”. This system is a compilation of techniques from many martial art styles, including techniques from Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

At first it was named “Free style wrestling.” Later it was called “Free wrestling,” and in 1946 was renamed Sambo. The rules allow throws and locks. These locks are generally applied to arm and leg joints while the wresters are grappling on mats. Victory is awarded for a clear throw to the back, by the submission of the opponent to a lock, or by points. Sambo practitioner normally wears either a red or a blue competition outfit called kurtka (куртка) or sambovka (самбовка).

Quick Facts

The International Federation of Amateur Wrestling recognised Sambo as an international wrestling sport in 1966

The first World SAMBO Championship was held in Tehran in 1973

During World War II, the system was widely used by the Soviet Army.

Kurash

Kurash is an ancient type of martial art which originated in the territory of modern Uzbekistan. According to the latest scientific research the age of Kurash is at least three and a half thousand years.

Kurash is an Uzbek word that means – «reaching the goal with the just or fair way». Since its birth till recent times Kurash was used as a martial art and for public entertainment during major holidays, feasts and wedding parties.

Kurash rules prohibit any actions on the floor. Action is allowed only in standing position – there is no groundwork, and only throws and leg sweeps can be used by players. Any techniques using armlock, chocking and kicking, as well as grips below the belt are strictly prohibited. Painful grips, beating and submission holds, blows below the belt are also prohibited but in spite of these rules the matches are very dynamic and exciting.

Quick Facts

The first Kurash world senior championship was held in May 1999 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

The Kurash uniform includes wide white trousers and a loose shirt. An essential part of the uniform is a fabric belt used to hold an opponent

Kurash competitions are held on a special mat with thickness of at least 5cm divided in three areas

Ju-Jitsu

"Jū" can be translated to mean "gentle, soft, supple, flexible, pliable, or yielding", "Jitsu" can be translated to mean "art" or "technique" and represents manipulating the opponent's force against himself rather than confronting it with one's own force. Ju-jitsu developed to combat the samurai of feudal Japan as a method for defeating an armed and armored opponent with the use of no weapon or only a short weapon.

In this form of martial art competitors combine striking, grappling and submissions under rules which emphasise safety. Many of the potentially dangerous techniques such as scissor takedowns, necklocks and digital choking and locking are prohibited in Sport Ju-jitsu.

Quick Facts

In June 1973, Ju-Jitsu was legally recognized as a sport.

The use of safety equipment i.e. approved sparring gloves, sparring shoes, mouth guard, and a groin protector are mandatory

Bowling

Bowling is a throwing sport in which a ball is thrown towards pins in an effort to knock them down and earn points. Bowling dates back to Ancient Egyptian times, with balls made of grain husks, leather, string, or porcelain having been found dating back to 3200BC. World Bowling was founded in Hamburg, Germany, on January 27, 1952

A bowler will need to complete a series of 10 frames to complete a game or “string”. The goal is to be able knock down the largest number of pins possible within a limited number of tries.

The perfect game is scored at 300 points, meaning that the bowler was able to accomplish 12 consecutive strikes in the game.

Quick Facts

During the 1988 Summer Olympics, bowling was featured as a demonstration sport in Seoul, Korea

A bowling ball must weigh ten to sixteen pounds and be no larger than 27 inches in circumference

Indoor bowling lanes made their debut in 1840 in New York City

Cycling Track

Track cycling is a fast-paced, hard fought competition that involves a variety of team and individual events, requiring athletes to display their speed, power, endurance and tactics around the 43-degree banked track. The closeness of spectators to the track and the speed of the cyclists creates an exciting atmosphere. It combines speed, tactics – and bikes that have no brakes!

Track cycling events fit into two broad categories: sprint races and endurance races. Riders will typically fall into one category and not compete in the other.

Quick facts

The first Track Cycling World Championships were held in 1893 in Chicago

In its 122-year history, the world championships have visited 23 countries including Japan, Colombia and Venezuela. France has hosted the event 15 times

Track Cycling has been an Olympic Sport since 1896

Short Course Swimming

In swimming, the term short course is used to identify a pool that is 25 metres in length. Short course is the second type of pool configuration currently recognized by FINA and other swimming bodies for pool competition.

Men and women participate in 16 events, including relays and individual competitions in four strokes – freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke. Swimmers swim a distance in a predetermined swim style, competing for the best time. To achieve faster times, techniques for starts and turns are crucial.

Quick Facts

Short course records are traditionally faster than long course records. This is assumed to be connected to increased number of wall push-offs, where speed is greatest

The fastest and most efficient swim stroke is the freestyle

Basketball 3/3

3x3 Basketball is played on a half basketball court with one hoop where two teams with three players on each side face each other. 3x3 is widely played throughout the world in street courts, yards, parks, squares, basketball courts and gyms.

A team is composed of at least three players and no more than four per roster. Each game lasts 10 minutes with a 12-second shot clock. Each team gets one 30-second timeout, all baskets inside the arc are worth 1 point and baskets made from outside of the arc are worth two points. The team that reaches 21 points first or scores the most points by the end of the 10 minutes wins.

One of the biggest strengths of 3x3 basketball is its simplicity both in terms of rules and in terms of required facilities, allowing it to be held in the most spectacular settings, using iconic landmarks as backdrops.

Quick Facts

3x3 made its first appearance on the international stage at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games

An online player community and tournament network platform 3x3Planet was launched in June 2012

Weightlifting

The ultimate test of strength, where the athlete attempts a maximum-weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates. There are two weightlifting techniques: the snatch and the clean and jerk. The snatch involves lifting bar directly from the floor above the head in a single movement. The clean and jerk is a two-stage movement, lifting the bar from the ground to shoulder height, then lifting it above the head.  The athletes have three attempts to perform each technique. The combined score from the best snatch and the best clean and jerk for each lifter are added together to determine the final score.

Athletes are categorised by weight with eight categories for men and eight for women. The success of an athlete is largely dependent on their power, but there is also a focus on technique, speed, timing, balance and flexibility.

Quick Facts

The origin of weightlifting dates back to ancient times in countries such as Greece, where they were seen as the ultimate test of male strength

The first weightlifting world championships took place in England in 1891

Athletes can lift up to three times their body weight during competition

In the men’s competition, the barbell weighs 20kg. In the women’s it weights 15kg

Indoor Athletics

In Indoor Athletics athletes compete in 13 track and field events. The competition includes collection of many events including field events such as long jump, triple jump and high jump. Track events short, middle and long distance running and hurdles are also included. Most athletics events do not require any specialised equipment, testing a range of physical attributes. Shot put is the only throwing event held indoors due to size restrictions.

Quick Facts

The first World Indoor Games were held in  1985 in Paris, France

Running was the first event contested in the ancient Olympic Games

Some of the athletic sports have remain unchanged for thousands of years and are still practised today

Taekwondo

“The way of the feet and hands” is the meaning of the Korean word taekwondo. Fighters score points by landing kicks and punches on the torso and head of their opponent – the fighter with the most points wins the bout. The combination of accuracy, power and control in taekwondo fights, coupled with the grace and movement of the ancient martial arts, makes for an impressive contest

The major features of this sport include tricking the opponent with feints and fakes to counterattack, and the martial art aspect of knocking down the opponent with an accurate attack. Competitors can also win by knocking out their opponent or lose by disqualification resulting from a foul. If a match is tied after three rounds, a fourth round will be conducted as a golden point round.

Quick Facts

Taekwondo was designated as the national martial art of Korea after World War II

The Taekwondo uniform is called the “Dobok”. A white belt is included upon the first rank, and the belt color would change as one advances in their ranks

Taekwondo is also seen in Chuck Norris , Jean-Claude Van Damme and Tony Jaa movies, as well as many Hong Kong action films

Dance Sport

Dance Sport is what used to be referred to as competitive ballroom dancing. This glamorous and exciting leisure activity has been renamed to suit its modern image as a demanding sport.

Its characteristics consist of physical strength, agility, co-ordination, stamina, high level of fitness, discipline, teamwork, grace, style and musical interpretation. Athletic ability must combine with artistry to produce a truly captivating performance on the parquet.

Five Latin and five Standard dances are at the origins of Dance Sport. Each of these dances is performed to the prescribed music and tempi by couples demonstrating not only proper technique but also poise, power, floor craft and other criteria that reflect the quality of their dancing.

Quick Facts

Dance turned into genuine sport at the beginning of the twentieth century when a group of French entrepreneurs converted ballrooms into the venue for their contests

It was featured in the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games

The first World Dance Sport Games were held in Kaohsiung, Taipei in 2013

Kickboxing

Kickboxing is a martial art in which competitors wear boxing gloves and throw punches as in boxing and kick with their bare feet as in karate. A Japanese karateka first established an outline of kickboxing by combining karate and muay thai.

Opponents are allowed to hit each other with punches and kicks, striking above the waist. Elbows and knees are forbidden and the use of the shins is seldom allowed. Clinch fighting, throws and sweeps are forbidden. Bouts are usually 3 to 12 rounds, lasting 2–3 minutes each, with a 1-minute rest in between rounds.

Belt wrestling

Belt Wrestling is one of the oldest traditional wrestling sports. Belt wrestling is a form of wrestling that is one of the oldest historically recorded sports. It involves contestants aiming to knock each other over by grappling with a belt.

Today there are different belt wrestling disciplines: free style, classical style, female belt wrestling, beach belt wrestling, snow belt wrestling in five age group: cadets, juniors, students, seniors and veterans.

Wrestling

Wrestling is a tense one-on-one combat sport conducted on a circular mat without the use of any equipment or protective gear. There are two styles of wrestling, freestyle and Greco-Roman. In freestyle wrestling, wrestlers can use all parts of the body, enabling swift actions and battles. To break the opponent's balance and bring them down, wrestlers use various rapid techniques. Greco-Roman wrestling, on the other hand, forbids wrestlers from attacking below their opponent's waist. The wrestlers, therefore, grip their opponent’s upper body and use powerful techniques such as throwing in this dynamic tournament.

Technique, stamina and brute strength are all on display in this fast-paced version of a centuries-old sport, in which athletes compete in the purest sense, with no equipment and no hitting, and a surprisingly noble code of conduct

Quick Facts

Wrestling is considered the oldest sport on earth.  Cave drawings dating back to 3,000 B.C. depict the sport

In the Middle Ages wrestling was popular among the Royal Families of England, Japan and France

Billiard Sports

Billiards sports represents the three sports of Pool, Carom and Snooker.

Carom billiards, refers to games played on tables without pockets, typically 10 feet in length, including balk line and straight rail, cushion caroms, three-cushion billiards, artistic billiards and four-ball.

Pool, covers numerous pocket billiards games generally played on six-pocket tables of 7, 8, or 9-foot length, including among others eight-ball (the world's most widely played cue sport), nine-ball (the dominant professional game), ten-ball, straight pool, one-pocket, and bank pool.

Snooker and English billiards include games played on a billiards table with six pockets called a snooker tables. A separate culture and terminology from other cue sports characterize their play.

Quick Facts

A "Billiards" category encompassing pool, snooker and carom was featured in the 2005 World Games and in the 2006 Asian Games.

The three disciplines were assembled under one umbrella organisation in August 1990.

Equestrian (Jumping)

In Equestrian sports men and women compete against each other on a level playing field. The key factors are the technical proficiency and elegance rather than physical strength.

Skills of both the rider and horse are crucial, and developing the necessary skills in the horses to reach competitive levels requires much time and training. Both individual and team competitions are included.

Riders work closely with their horses and competitions demonstrate the combined skills of both rider and horse. The rider seeks to exploit the full potential of the horse, and the horse strives to respond to the demands of its rider.

Spectator attractions include how the riders communicate with their horses and how the rider and horse overcome hurdles and work together as an integrated team.

Quick Facts

Collaborations between humans and horses date back to the ancient civilizations of China, Egypt and Persia.

In the ancient Olympic Games, horses were featured in the chariot races.

Equestrian jumping was introduced as an Olympic sport at the Paris 1900 Games.

Traditional Wrestling

Traditional wrestling comes in three variations depending on the use or not of belts: fixed belt (continuous grabbing of the belt), free belt (free recourse to the belt) and no-belt All variations allow the use of the legs, while the fixed belt style also comes in a form, which only allows the use of the upper body.

No wrestling shoes are allowed in any of the traditional wrestling styles.