Hong Kong entered four badminton players for each of the following events into the Olympic tournament based on the BWF World Race to Tokyo Rankings: one entry each in the men's and women's singles and a pair in the mixed doubles.[4]
Hong Kong received a spare berth freed up by host nation Japan to send one rider to the men's Olympic road race, as the highest-ranked nation for men, not yet qualified, in the UCI World Ranking.[5][6]
Following the completion of the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Hong Kong riders obtained spots in the women's omnium and women's madison, as well as the women's sprint and keirin, based on their country's results in the final UCI Olympic rankings.[7]
Hong Kong entered one eventing rider into the Olympic equestrian competition for the first time in 12 years and finished in the top two, outside the group selection, of the individual FEI Olympic Rankings for Group G (Southeast Asia and Oceania).[8]
For the first time since Seoul 1988, Hong Kong fencers entered a full squad in the men's team foil and women's team épée as the highest-ranked nation from Asia outside the world's top four in the FIE Olympic Team Rankings.[9]
Hong Kong entered one female golfer into the Olympic tournament. Tiffany Chan qualified directly among the top 60 eligible players for the women's event based on the IGF World Rankings of 29 June 2021.[10]
Hong Kong entered one artistic gymnast into the Olympic competition, London 2012 Olympian Shek Wai Hung who secured one of the three spots available for individual-based gymnasts but did not qualify for the team, the all-around, or the vault exercise at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.[11]
Hong Kong entered one karateka into the inaugural Olympic tournament. 2018 world bronze medalist Grace Lau qualified directly for the women's kata category by finishing among the top four karatekas at the end of the combined WKF Olympic Rankings.[12]
Hong Kong qualified one boat in the women's single sculls for the Games by finishing first in the B-final and securing the fourth of five berths available at the 2021 FISA Asia & Oceania Olympic Qualification Regatta in Tokyo, Japan.[13]
Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage
Hong Kong sailors qualified for one boat in each of the following classes through the class-associated World Championships and the continental regattas.[14]
Hong Kong swimmers further achieved qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT), and potentially 1 at the Olympic Selection Time (OST)):[15][16]
Hong Kong entered six athletes into the table tennis competition at the Games, with an additional two alternate athletes for the team tournaments. The men's and women's teams secured one of nine available places, respectively, at the 2020 World Olympic Qualification Event in Gondomar, Portugal, permitting a maximum of two starters to compete in each of the men's and women's singles tournament.[17][18] Moreover, an additional berth was awarded to the Hong Kong table tennis players competing in the inaugural mixed doubles by advancing to the semifinal stage of the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Zhengzhou, China.[19]
Hong Kong entered one triathlete to compete at the Games for the first time since the 2008. British-born Oscar Coggins secured a place in the men's event by topping the list of individual triathletes from Asia and Oceania vying for qualification based on the ITU World Rankings.[20]
^"世羽聯公布東奧資格 共172個參賽名額 港將伍家朗 列男單8號種子" [The Badminton World Federation released 172 Summer Olympics qualifications, Ng Ka Long listed as the number 8 seed in the men's singles]. Wen Wei Po (in Chinese). 12 June 2021. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.