Chess Olympiad: Afghanistan players wait for Govt nod to take part; Kosovo to play under FIDE flag

Bengaluru, July 20: The 44th Chess Olympiad is set to get underway in Chennai from July 28 to August 10 and players from Afghanistan are yet to get the green signal to participate in the event.

As reported in PTI, an All India Chess Federation (AICF) official said the Afghanistan players are waiting for approval from the ruling Taliban government to participate in the upcoming edition of the Chess Olympiad.

"Chess players from Afghanistan did apply for visas to take part in the Olympiad but the Taliban government is yet to give approval," an AICF official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

India is set to host the Chess Olympiad for the first time and the tournament is set to witness a record number of countries taking part in the tournament with 187 countries to participate.

Afghanistan players are still to get visas for the event. Afghanistan has been under Taliban's rule since last year and the Taliban has strong antipathy towards Chess and considers the game a form of gambling.

"As of now, 343 teams from 187 countries will take part in the event, including Pakistan. The visa procedure for each athletes has been taken care of as well," Bharat Singh Chauhan, Secretary, AICF, said.

"However, as far as Afghanistan's participation is concerned, it looks unlikely because of the political situation in the country. Everything will be clear in a couple of days."

Meanwhile, chess players from Kosovo will participate under the FIDE flag because of India's current stance on the disputed nation, sources in the AICF told PTI. In 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia, something which India disapproves of completely.

Government played a pivotal role: Abhijeet Gupta

Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta, who is part of the Indian squad at the Chess Olympiad, hailed the government's assiduousness in promoting the sport in the country, especially at a time, when a lot of youngsters are taking a keen interest in it.

"Honestly, I have never seen such a keen interest from governments in the past when it comes to promoting chess. This is unprecedented in every possible way," Gupta said. "From organising the historic torch relay which was truly one-of-a-kind to launching a commemorative stamp now, it will boost the morale of the Indian chess contingent taking part in the event this year."

Gupta said that the 44th Chess Olympiad will be held at a time when the game has caught the attention of hundreds of youngsters in the country, as of many of them were forced to stay back home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"One good thing that COVID-19 has done to chess is that it has made the sport immensely popular to tens of thousands of youngsters who are now taking it seriously. Schools and colleges were closed for a long time and the work-from-home provision meant these youngsters took a keen interest toward chess," Gupta said.

Source: PTI