Somalia’s Chess Olympiad Visa Nightmare

Somalia’s plans to attend the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, started with excitement but ended in a nightmare. This is a recurrent theme every two years when smaller federations struggle to attend the most important chess event. A fierce debate raged on African social media about the challenges of the visa application process for the 29 “Schengen Area” nations. News posted on chess websites before the Opening Ceremony noted that as many as 60 countries had visa delays. By the first round, 40 teams (Open and Women) were not paired.

Some of the players eventually received visas but missed several rounds.

Unfortunately, these countries have a harder time securing visas around the globe for various reasons. Some are due to a lack of embassy access, some are due to financial constraints, and other obstacles are due to application technicalities. There is another factor: the strength of a nation’s passport.

Below is the Global Passport Power Index. Note that nations at the lower end of the passport ranking are among the most frequent rejectees. According to an article published by Dr. Mehari Taddele Maru in the African Wealth Report 2024, Africa has a 30% visa rejection rate globally. There appears to be a correlation between passport strength and visa rejections.

Olympiad Dreams Dashed

A delegation of 17 Somalis traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, to apply for a visa. According to posts on an African WhatsApp group, John Mukabi of Kenya stated,

Somalia outright rejected. They were 17 of them and they had to apply in Nairobi. After we helped them appeal they were given reappointment date. They went, submitted their documents, paid double the amount as per rules and shocking thing their passports were returned to them told something like they’ll be called. That was the end! THEFT

International Arbiter and FIDE Trainer, Duke Michieka, was in Somalia in May to direct the Somalian Chess Championship, empathized with the situation, and added,

They stayed over 3 weeks actually, their Team landed at JKIA on 21st August and Departed the second week after the Olympiad had commenced, hoping to play some of the remaining rounds, but this never came to fruition.

According to Somalian Chess Federation President Ahmed Abdi Hassan, the delegation had a 30-day waiting period for visa processing. A visa interview was required, so they had to travel to Nairobi because there was no Hungarian Embassy or Consulate in Somalia. The initial visa application was US$160 per person, and the one-hour flight was $200 from Mogadishu to Nairobi. Imagine the initial excitement during the trip to Nairobi, thinking visas would be secured after the interviews.

Every delegation member had their scheduled interviews after arriving on Wednesday, August 21st. Unfortunately, all 17 were denied. After the initial denial, they appealed and paid an additional $200 fee. They were told they would be called. Of course, they had to find lodging, so they stayed in a local hotel.

Meanwhile, the Olympiad games had begun on September 11th, so they had already been in Nairobi for three weeks. There was a glimmer of hope when it was reported in the WhatsApp group on September 15th that Somalia may be getting visas and making the second half of the event. However, days passed, and on September 20th, the delegation’s appeal was denied!

“It’s not only for the teams, but all Somali chess communities have moral disappointment.”

~Ahmed Abdi Hassan, President of Somalian Chess Federation

Imagine traveling back to Somalia after months of preparation and making arrangements. Imagine the utter disappointment of taking a flight back to Mogadishu and being unable to participate in an event you had anticipated for so long. A tremendous amount of money was spent with nothing to show for the effort.

When The Chess Drum asked Hassan about the ordeal, the issue was much more than the lost time and money. He stated, “It’s not only for the teams, but all Somali chess communities have moral disappointment.” To add insult to injury, the Hungarian Embassy in Nairobi did not offer a reason for the rejection.

Visagate revisited

The Chess Drum ran a story on “visagate” while these cases unfolded. There were spirited discussions on social media with some first-hand accounts. Many smaller federations find the visa application process to Schengen nations very challenging. There are still bitter memories of Dresden, Germany, and Tromso, Norway. Perhaps foreign embassies have misconceptions that Africans have other reasons for attending an international chess event.

While FIDE was involved in writing letters and calling embassies during federation appeals, many nations were stranded as these deliberations took place. As in the case of the Somalians, delegations incurred tremendous expenses. Despite these investments, several nations were unable to travel.

Former FIDE Vice President and African Chess Confederation (ACC) President Lewis Ncube weighed in,

I understand that visa policies are determined by individual countries. This is why I proposed that FIDE “works with” the organisers. As the events in question are being organised under the auspices of FIDE, the involvement of FIDE in lobbying for more flexible visa conditions will play a big role in sorting these issues. Remember that some Federations do not have the same influence/contacts with their own Governments as others to be able to get the required support. This is where the involvement of FIDE will go a long way in helping resolve such issues.

In the case of Africa, there are explanations for why applicants for Schengen visas are rejected at high rates. Another article by Mahari Taddele Maru talked about the $906 million in revenue earned by the Schengen visa application process, of which $145 million is earned from rejected visas. No African federation should have to bear these costs only to be rudely thwarted. Maru wrote that visa approval is often tied to the applicant’s “financial ties” to the home country.

Before the 2008 Olympiad in Dresden, Kebadu Belachew of Ethiopia appealed a rejection of his players by the German Embassy based on “insufficient financial or social ties.” He wrote a frantic reply, which included the following excerpt:

The impact of visa rejections is widespread, but some African nations, such as Namibia, have retaliated by taking 31 nations off the visa exemption list. They cite the lack of reciprocity and the grueling process if they wish to enter these countries.

Salvation for Somalians?

Somalia had a very successful national championship in May, which Kenya Chess Masala beautifully covered. These events provide federations with momentum to perform well at the Olympiad. The Olympiad is a way to show off your national chess talent on the largest stage and to dutifully represent your country’s colors.

Before an Olympiad, there is so much anticipation about what will become an unforgettable experience. National champions proudly lead their teams and bask in the festive atmosphere. After the Olympiad, players return home excited about the experience, motivated to improve, and energized to serve as ambassadors of chess. What did this fiasco do? Probably the opposite.

How can Somalians heal after such an event? It will be hard after such a setback, not to mention spending more than US$10,000 of a chess budget. How will they recoup the losses? Will FIDE provide Somalia with reimbursement or chess resources equal to their losses? Perhaps this would force the host organizing committee and FIDE to collaborate closely with the embassies to ensure nations get fair consideration.

“We are looking for the way that we can solve this issue.”

~Ahmed Abdi Hassan, President of Somalian Chess Federation

The harsh reality is that Schengen nations currently have a higher rejection rate, which affects the overall participation of teams. If a nation has a high rejection rate, it compromises the very spirit of the Olympiad. Some teams missed as many as six rounds (in Syria’s case). There have been complaints that Olympiad events are often held in places where visa regulations are more restrictive for nations with lower Passport Power. Despite an apparent 188 nations in Budapest, many nations missed parts or all of the Olympiad due to visa issues.

FIDE’s Inconsistent Action on Visas

Advocacy of visa issuance has to be stronger for the Olympiad. Perhaps a country’s visa rejection rate should weigh heavily in the criteria for hosting an Olympiad. So far, this has not been discussed in any General Assembly meeting in recent years, if ever. A nation’s right to host the Olympiad should be based on whether it can be hospitable to all member nations. Unfortunately, chess bodies have been inconsistent in how they handle these issues.

FIDE and the Association of Chess Professionals (ACP) have previously made public statements against nations with restrictive visa policies. In 2004, the government of Libya was pressured to release a statement that all nationalities would be welcomed after there was a concern that Israelis would not receive visas for the World Cup. ACP waged a protest, and one player (GM Vadim Milov) sued FIDE.

Again, in 2017, there was a protest against Saudi Arabia for a similar reason. The ACP’s Emil Sutovsky spoke out again and referred to the following FIDE Statute:

1.2 FIDE is concerned exclusively with chess activities. FIDE is democratically established and bases itself on the principles of equal rights of its members. FIDE is a non-profit making organisation. It rejects discriminatory treatment for national, political, racial, social or religious reasons or on account of gender. It observes strict neutrality in the internal affairs of the national chess federations.

a. FIDE events (competitions, congresses, meetings) may be hosted only by Federations where free access is generally assured to representatives of all Federations.
b. The General Assembly may take exceptions for reasons of state of war or severe violence between countries, only on a three quarter majority vote.

~FIDE Handbook

Are the nations that host major tournaments privy to this FIDE regulation? In a Peter Doggers article on chess.com, many players voiced their disapproval of having the 2017 World Rapid & Blitz Championships in Saudi Arabia because it did not include three federations: Iran, Israel, and Qatar. They took the statements of many top players who all argued for inclusion.

Earlier this year, FIDE directly appealed to Canadian President Justin Trudeau to expedite the issuance of visas for five Indian players in the two Candidates Tournaments. Again, Sutovsky made a forceful appeal in the case bearing Canada-India political overtones.

@JustinTrudeau @CitImmCanada @MarcMillerVM

Urgent action is required for Canada to remain the hosts of the most important chess tournament of the year! https://t.co/GGQEs6LRRM

— Emilchess (@EmilSutovsky) March 1, 2024

However, these types of forceful statements are not made on behalf of smaller federations to secure their visas for the Olympiad. Nations are rejected due to “insufficient financial and social ties,” which violates regulation 1.2 above. Where was the discussion on the floor of the General Assembly in Budapest? Where was the tweet like the one above? Where was the outrage on chess websites? We cannot boast of the record-breaking 188 countries in Budapest. Yet, we are comfortable with the discriminatory policies that prevented hundreds of chess figures (i.e., players, coaches, arbiters, delegates) from attending.

In the Final Analysis…

“Passport privilege” provides visitors with ease of access, while citizens with lower passport rankings are economically and socially profiled. According to FIDE, issuing visas based on “national, political, racial, social or religious reasons or on account of gender” is against the spirit of GENS UNA SUMUS. Athletes (even those with “weaker” passports) are part of group visas issued for international events like the Olympics and the World Cup. Are unconditional group visas out of the question?

Somalia’s case is very sad, but it replicates what we see practiced in the geopolitical landscape. Africans are often made to jump through diplomatic hoops at great expense, with long waits and logistical hardships. The stories of Africans being herded into holding cells are endless, but the Somalians waiting three weeks for an answer on the appeal is just another example of injustice.

Nigeria had to cobble together a mixed team to have representation. Only 7/20 Nigerians and 3/9 of its players were issued visas. According to Africa Chess Media’s Babatunde Ogunsiku, who was also rejected, a player flew to Hungary from the U.S. to complete the team of four.

Do we need to see a humiliated chess delegation herded into a detention camp for 24 hours and sent home before we see this is a critical issue?

Let us mention the elephant in the room—those who overstay their visas. Benard Wanjala of Kenya pointed out mass overstays at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary, last year. He asserted that African nations may have been “caught in the aftermath.” Nevertheless, the case of Somalia shows the world still has a way to go. While there were few places better to be than Budapest (from September 10th-23rd), there is still the ongoing problem of visa approvals from host nations. Wanjala makes an impassioned plea.

This experience serves as a wake-up call. In the future, no sane African federation should support a Schengen country as a host for the Olympiad, or any other major chess event, until they can ensure fair, streamlined, and accessible processes for all participants, regardless of nationality. It’s time we push for equal opportunity for every player, no matter where they come from.

~Benard Wanjala, President of Chess Kenya Federation

GENS UNA SUMUS!