Olympiad Announcement
Tuesday, 01 June 2010 10:44
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL PARTICIPANTS & FEDERATIONS
Today, June 1st, two different invoices have been sent to all federations by the Organising Committee of the Olympiad:
1. Invoice for Charters [airport tax for teams, full fare for others] in USD.
2. Invoice for Accommodation [upgrading, accompanying persons etc] in EUR.
Financial obligations of all accompanying persons [delegates, arbiters and others] are included in these invoices.
All federations must pay the invoices to the FIDE ACCOUNT, as specified in the invoice, before JULY 1st 2010, if they wish to secure their seats in the Charters and their accommodation in Khanty-Mansiysk during the Olympiad.
There was a disturbing report on This Week in Chess (TWIC) about the planning for the Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk. Apparently organizers of the 2010 Olympiad have fallen behind on the logistics. This is always cause for major concern given past problems with getting players situated.
The Olympiad Hotel is being completed, but there is concern about other logistics. The opening of the hotel is set for September 1st. For an event of the magnitude of the Olympiad, this is a very disturbing revelation. The opening of the venue in September does not seem to allow enough time for adjustments if they are needed. Here is an excerpt that is not reassuring.
How is that the bidding for the Olympiad does not catch these issues? We know that Olympiad Closing Ceremonies require a hall with the capacity of more than 600. There is a picture below of the progress. Is this the stage of progress we can take comfort in?
Link: https://www.chess.co.uk/twic/chessnews/events/39th-chess-olympiad-khanty-mansiysk-2010/fide-concerned-about-pace-of-olympiad-preparations