FIDE postpones the 2022 Chess Olympiad
Due to the rapidly evolving situation in Ukraine, the chess world was bracing for an announcement about FIDE’s position on the matter and the upcoming 2022 Chess Olympiad. The Chess Olympiad was scheduled to begin in Moscow from July 26th to August 8th, 2022. This followed the cancellation of the 2020 Chess Olympiad in Minsk, Belarus due to Belarussian organizers failure to meet specific benchmarks.
Just after events broke in Kyiv, FIDE Vice President GM Nigel Short tweeted the following message:
Due to the deteriorating geopolitical situation, FIDE Council will review the holding of official FIDE events in Russia. https://t.co/9FhNYMO8ik.
— Nigel Short (@nigelshortchess) February 24, 2022
Statement of FIDE Council regarding official competitions and events in Russia
FIDE Council expresses its grave concern regarding the current rapidly deteriorating geopolitical situation.During its extraordinary meeting, FIDE Council will review holding all the planned FIDE official chess competitions and events in Russia. The member federations and the responsible FIDE Commissions will be consulted in order to make the most appropriate decision.
Early this morning FIDE released an official statement.
?? FIDE Council has decided that the 44th Chess Olympiad, including the competition for players with disabilities and the FIDE Congress, will not take place in Russia. FIDE will do our utmost to find another organizer for the Olympiad and provide more information in due time.
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) February 25, 2022
Friday, 25 Feb 2022 11:50
2022 Chess Olympiad to be moved from Moscow
The International Chess Federation has announced today its decision that the 44th Chess Olympiad, one of its flagship events, will not take place in Russia. This championship, in which teams from approximately 190 countries compete for two weeks, was supposed to take place in Moscow from July 26 July to August 8.
Additionally, this year’s edition of the Chess Olympiad was supposed to include the first chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities, to be played in Khanty-Mansiysk, a well-known skiing and alpine centre of global importance that annually hosts the Biathlon World Cup.
Another event that will be moved away from Russia is the 93rd FIDE Congress, which was planned to take place alongside the Chess Olympiad. This year, the Congress should also include an electoral procedure, since the first term of the current FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich is coming to an end. Dvorkovich was elected in Batumi (Georgia), in September 2018.
Chess in Russia remains extremely popular, even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and despite the fact that Russia has not won a Chess Olympiad since Bled (Slovenia) 2002. There are tens of millions of fans, and the sport is enthusiastically supported by its institutions and also by its private sector. The country often hosts top-level chess competitions, including official ones, like the previous Candidates Tournament that took place in Yekaterinburg amidst the pandemic.
However, the rapidly deteriorating geopolitical situation has forced the FIDE Council to make this difficult move. During its extraordinary meeting, held today, Friday, February 25, it was decided that all official competitions planned would be moved from Russia.
FIDE is already working on finding alternative dates and locations for these events.
Link: https://www.fide.com/news/1599
Video by FIDE