Islamic athletics is an athletics organisation governed by Sharia and formed through the Islamic history. In Islam, athletics is perceived as important to gain a healthy body. Sports like swimming and horseback riding are especially encouraged by Hadith.There are, however, some other sports that are banned in Islam. Any sports that involve killing (i.e. hunting) are strictly forbidden according to Islamic Law Sharia.

The Arabic word for athletics is رياضية riyadiya^{[citation needed]}, which is derived from verb root ر و ض.

The Islamic law, or Sharia, sets several bounds that indirectly impact Muslim athletes. This includes rules regarding the awrah, those parts of the body not to be exposed in public. The hijab or Burqas required by strict divisions of Islam can make it difficult for women to engage in many sports. Also, men are not allowed to have clothing that shows the area between the knees and navel, prohibiting them from engaging in, for example, Sumo wrestling. For some time, Iranian women at the Olympics only competed in shooting because it was the one area unaffected by their dress codes.^{[citation needed]}