Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held in Astana (males) and Almaty (females) in Kazakhstan from 28 January to 6 February. For these games, the men were competing in a 14-team tournament, and the women in a 5-team tournament. Ice hockey preliminaries actually started two days before the Opening Ceremony of the Games on 30 January. Due to the IOC's suspension of the Kuwait Olympic Committee, Kuwaiti athletes competed under the Olympic flag.